


Wounded

by H_Elizabeth



Series: The Exile [1]
Category: Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Genre: Bounty Hunters, Consent Issues, F/F, F/M, Kreia is a bitch, The Dark Side of the Force, w/ Mira
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 04:04:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 39,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7251262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/H_Elizabeth/pseuds/H_Elizabeth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zanna Hal, exiled from the Jedi Order, struggles to live on the path of the Light Side as she seeks out answers of her exile as the race to stop the impending threat of the Sith, who have come out from the shadows, becomes ever so deadly. There is a wound in the Force- a wound that may have lethal consequences to heal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Alterations

**CHAPTER 1: ALTERATIONS**

 

 

"Would you stop your pacing? It ain't helping anything." Atton Rand had momentarily stopped drawing in the Korribani sand with his finger to look at the Disciple, Mical. He was pacing back and forth with a concerned look on his face. "You remind me of a gizka I once saw on Tatooine," Atton laughed. "It was just hopping around, looking so confused, and-"

"How could you possibly be joking in a moment such as this?!" Mical said, suddenly stopping his pacing to give Atton an angry glare. "We should have gone in with her..." He continued, "Who knows what horrors she's facing." Mical looked down at the smuggler with a concerned look. "Do you- do you think she's all right?"

"Look, blondie," Atton said sternly, "if you don't think I'm worried about her you're out of your damn mind. In case you've forgotten, _I've_ been with her since the beginning. _I'm_ one who helped her get off Peragus. And, don't forget," he said, pointing at Mical, " _We're_ the ones who let you tag along when we happened to run into you on Dantooine."

"That doesn't matter right-"

"BUT to answer your question," Atton said, paying no attention to what the Disciple had to say, "yes, I do think she's all right. She's one hell of a fighter. If anything, we would have slowed her down." He laughed. "A couple of new Jedi wouldn't be much help to one of her experience, right?"

Mical nodded slowly, yet still unconvinced. "I suppose. Even so, she has been in there for quite some time."

"Yeah, and _even so_ ," he said mockingly, "she explicitly told us she had to go in and face whatever the hell's in there by herself."

"Didn't Kreia tell her that?"

Atton paused, thinking. "Maybe," he said, continuing to draw in the sand. "I don't get their magical link or whatever."

"Nor I. Perhaps..." Mical trailed off with his thoughts.

"Perhaps what?"

"Well, do you particularly trust Kreia?" Mical asked hesitantly.

"Oh, hell no!" Atton responded, laughing out loud. "I mean, have you met her?"

The Disciple looked confused. "Of course I have; I've aided you on this journey for quite some time."

"Would you lighten up, for one pfassking second?" Atton stared at the soldier. "It was _a joke. Sarcasm_. You know what that is?"

"Now look," Mical said, getting closer to Atton, "this is no time for-” He suddenly paused, diverting his attention elsewhere. “Wait, do you hear that?”

Atton stood up and walked closer to the mouth of the cave, listening for whatever Mical had thought he heard. "Footsteps," he breathed. "Coming this way. Sounds like running..."

"Draw your weapon," Mical whispered, igniting his blue lightsaber. "Just in case."

The sound of footsteps grew louder.

"Get ready." Mical whispered sternly.

Atton hesitantly reached for the hilt his lightsaber, prepared for an enemy. Finally, the sound was close enough to where they would see whoever was running... they just had to come around the bend of the cave...

"ZANNA!" Atton exclaimed, running to meet his companion, as Mical turned off his lightsaber and ran to greet her as well.

Zanna Hal was undoubtedly out of breath. She slowed to a walk once she saw her friends, wiping the beads of sweat off of her forehead and immediately closing her eyes. Atton embraced her tightly as Mical joined them.  The young Jedi was gasping for air in Atton's arms, her eyes still shut tight. 

"What's wrong?" Mical asked. "Are you alright?"

Atton grabbed her by the shoulders and looked at Zanna's face, looking stunned. "Z, you okay?"

Zanna shook her head, starting to cry. "I... It... Was so..." she stammered through her sobs, "I can't..."

Mical came closer to the two, obviously worried. "Zanna, what is it? Are you alright?"

Zanna's breathing became quick, and Atton felt her begin to shake. "Hal!" He yelled, her tiny figure trembling in his grip, "What's wrong?"

She felt herself losing her strength, sliding involuntarily onto her knees. Atton, still holding her, went down with her. "Z, you're scaring me," he said, the worry evident in his voice.

Mical immediately knelt down and put the back of his hand onto her forehead. "Her temperature is extremely high," he whispered.

Zanna suddenly began to see specks of white flickering against the black of her vision, eyes still closed. Her breathing began to slow, yet she knew she was slipping. "H-Help..." she whispered.

Atton cupped the side of her face with his hand. "Dammit, Hal, stay with me! We can't do this without you!"

"Zanna, just breathe. Just breathe. Focus." Mical ordered.

She slowly opened her eyes to look at the two, her breathing becoming heavier. "P-please," she begged. She caught a glimpse of Atton looking into her eyes, and then suddenly, all was black.

 

 

Zanna awoke, feeling extremely cold. _Where the hell am I?_

She flickered her eyes open, lying on her side and slightly shivering. Metal walls surrounded her, with a familiar looking footlocker on the floor. _I'm back on the Ebon Hawk..._ she realized, sitting up in her bed. She looked around at her quarters on the ship, feeling confused. _Wait... I was on Korriban.... What happened?_

She put her hand to her head, which was throbbing with pain. "Force," she mumbled to herself, "I need a medpack..." She got up from her bed and walked to the footlocker, unlocking it. _Some robes, armor..._ "Ah hah! Medpack." She took the medpack and used it, instantly easing the pain from her head. She looked down at herself and discovered she was still wearing the Padawan robes from Dantooine. _Gross,_ she thought to herself, and rummaged through the footlocker to find some clothes, which she did.

She made her way to the refresher, both eager to change into some clean clothes, while also nervous as to what she might look like. She wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious, but she was certain she had been running around and sweating.

Entering the refresher, Zanna set the clothes down to look into the mirror. "Oh my gods!" She screamed. Paying no attention to her messy hair (which was still somewhat in a braid, yet there were strands loose everywhere, some sticking to her face from previous sweat), she was stunned to see a near completely different person. Her skin was pale, yet it had a lavender tone to it, and her eyes, once blue, had become a piercing yellow. She stared, repulsed at herself, and stumbled backwards, falling over and onto her back in shock.

Footsteps soon were heard outside the refresher door, and three quick knocks followed. "Zan, you in there?"

"Yeah," she said, sitting up , "Yeah, Mira, I'm in here."

"Can I come in?"

"I guess."

The door opened and Mira walked in. Her short red hair had been slicked back, and she wasn't wearing her usual headband. The bounty hunter knelt down besides the Jedi, who was now sitting against the toilet, and stared at her.

After a few seconds of silence, Zanna broke it. "Can I help you?"

"No." Mira replied, sighing. "I actually came here to see if you needed anything."

"Maybe some answers," Zanna said sharply. "How long have I looked like this?"

"Since puberty, I imagine," Mira said sarcastically.

Zanna stared at her. "Wow, that helps. Thank you so much."

"Geez, sorry for trying to lighten the mood." Mira said, defensively. "But as for the eyes? It started since you came back to the Hawk from Korriban, which was three days ago." Mira said. "Atton and Mical said you came out, looking like this, and then swiftly passed out. They carried you from the hellish cave you came out from through the rest of the shyrack caves, through the Valley of the Dark Lords and back to the Hawk." Zanna remained quiet. "Look, it's not that bad." Mira smiled. "In fact, it makes you look pretty badass. And I doubt that both of those guys won't still be protective kath hounds for you." She snickered. "In fact, they haven't stopped talking about you this whole time."

Zanna stared at her, confused. "What, since I passed out?"

Mira laughed. "No, not at all. I mean, this actual whole time."

"What?"

"Oh, c'mon. Don't tell me you haven't noticed it. Those guys practically worship you."

Zanna sat there in silence, a puzzled expression on her face. Suddenly she shook her head. "That's not important right now. Look, not that I don't enjoy your company, but would it be okay if I had a sec to change and get myself together?"

Mira smiled, standing up. "Sure thing, Jedi. Let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks." Zanna continued to sit on the floor. _So I was really on Korriban. All those things in the cave... They happened..._

She shivered, then stood up. _Let's just get cleaned up first, Hal..._ She decided to take care of the sweat and the tangled hair by a quick hop in the shower. She put on the flowy white tunic and brown pants she grabbed from the footlocker and brushed out her matted hair, looking into the mirror. _Force, I am a mess_. She continued staring at herself. _How the hells did I get this way?_ She leaned in closer, her face inches away from her reflection, to braid her (now brushed) black hair. As she did so, her trip to Korriban and the shyrack caves came into her mind.

 

 

_"Well, this doesn't look like it could be bad."_  
"Yeah, looks absolutely peachy."  
Zanna and Atton had arrived at the mouth of a strange looking cave, at the request of Kreia.  
Atton groaned. "That old witch better know what she's talking about..." He told her.  
Suddenly Mical came into sight, exiting the left mouth of the main shyrack caves.  
Zanna yelled out to him, "What took you so long?"  
"I was told to go to the left when we arrived," he called back.  
"You told him to go left?!" Zanna asked Atton angrily, who was holding back laughter. "I told YOU _to tell_ HIM _we were going right!"_  
"Hey, it 'left him an opening'," he replied, mocking the Disciple's oft quoted phrase.  
"He had to fight off all those shyrack and those other Tuk'ata by HIMSELF?!"  
"Hey," Atton said with a smirk, "He's a soldier-turned-Jedi, it looks like he did fine."  
"Asshole!" Zanna muttered as Mical came up to them.  
The three turned back toward the foreign looking cave.  
"The valley we just came from was filled with dark energy, but this cave is darker still," Mical mused as he regained his breath.  
    "Yeah, you can **_see_** _it. Look." Atton pointed on the ground, where a rich purple color tainted the sand._  
     "Well it's a good thing we're all force-sensitive or you wouldn't be able to," She told them.  
   'Zanna!' came a familiar voice. 'Listen to me.'  
   Zanna exhaled and closed her eyes, focusing on her mind, where her mentor Kreia was reaching out to her.  
'Yes, what is it?' She responded telepathically.

_'The power I felt coming through the cave is just ahead.'_  
   Yeah, I figured,' Zanna responded.  
    I believe you are strong enough to explore the tomb ahead.'  
   'Wait, this is a tomb? What else are you not telling me?'  
'There is great power and dark energy within this cave..." Kreia stated..  
   Zanna exhaled in annoyance. 'Yeah, I figured that much out myself.'

_‘There’s something else.’_  
“What is it now, woman?’  
'You will have to face the challenges of this tomb alone. I will not guide you, nor will your... friends _... be able to aide you as go forward. Do you understand?'_  
"What?!" Zanna cried, audibly.  
"What is it?" Mical asked her.  
She turned to face them. "I've... just been informed I need to go forward- alone."  
"That's ludicrous!" The Disciple exclaimed. "We will not stand idle." His stance shifted, soldier’s instincts kicking in.  
"Hate to agree with blondie, but he's right, Z." Atton said. "We're not gonna just sit here."  
"I have to."  
"Says who?" Atton sneered. "That schutta of a woman? I don't think so."  
‘ ** _FOOLS!_** _' Kreia bellowed within Zanna's mind. 'If you do not enter alone, you will most certainly regret it.'_  
"Guys," Zanna finally said, "I appreciate your help, but I have to do this alone."  
"But-" Both men said in unison.  
“No ‘but's." She quickly looked at both of them, then ignited both of her silver lightsabers. "I'll be back.” She turned and faced the entrance of the tomb, taking a step forward into the purple energy. Immediately, she could feel her anger boiling up inside her, as well as the power the energy presented. "Focus Hal..." she told herself, "You can do this." She looked back at her friends, who were looking nervous. She turned her attention forward and walked towards whatever Kreia knew was lurking beyond.

 

 

After one final look in the mirror, Zanna opened the door of the refresher and immediately ran into someone. "Dammit, Atton!" she cried, hand on her chest. "You scared me half to death."

"Well it's good it was just half, because we still need you for the rest of this trip." He said with a smirk.

"Oh, be quiet," She muttered, pushing her way past him.

He looked at her as she made her way back to her quarters. "Yeah, good to see you, too!" He cried out to her sarcastically. "Oh, it was my pleasure saving you! No need to thank me".

She turned back to him, a smile on her face, and bowed. "Thank you, Atton." She gave him a sincere smile before going back into her quarters.

Atton leaned against the door frame of the refresher, a crooked smile emerging on his face.

"BOOP-BEEP-DOP!"

“Pfassk!" Atton jumped, turning to see T3 standing behind him.

"BEEP-DWOOP-DEEP!" The droid snickered.

"Yeah, haha, very funny." Atton mumbled as he entered the refresher. "Trash compactor." He made his way to the refresher, eager to rinse his face off- being a scoundrel required minimum hygiene; washing one’s scruffy face was the bare minimum, which he had acquiesced to doing every day at the request of Zanna. He had barely finished washing his face in the sink when the door flung open. "Geez!" He exclaimed, dabbing his scruffy face with a nearby towel. He saw Mira, arms crossed, and looking sour. "How unlucky of you," he said with a smirk on his face. "One minute earlier and you would've been here to see the-"

"Save it." Mira snapped, hand up as a gesture to stop. "I honestly do not care. About that, anyway." She turned around and swiftly shut the door again.

"Uh, look, Red," Atton said, flushed, "I get it. Like most women I encounter, you're drawn to me."

" _Excuse me?"_

"And I'm flattered." He shrugged, still smirking. "However, I'm just not into red-heads."

"Oh, get over yourself, you _ass._ " Mira hissed, hands on her hips. "I'm here to talk to you about the Exile."

Atton glared at her, confused. "Are we still calling her 'The Exile'? I thought we were over this after Nar Shaddaa."

"Okay, then let's call her what everyone in the galaxy is calling her- The Bounty."

He laughed. "Red, just because you were hunting her doesn't mean-"

"You know damn well Goto isn't the only one who was eager to send masses of bounty hunters out to get her." She glowered at him. "And you better thank the Force that I was the one who found you all first."

"Could you just get to the point?"

Mira huffed. "The point, you _nerfherder_ , is that you and the Disciple haven't let her be alone for two seconds this whole time. **_And_** -" she added, seeing how Atton was about to make an excuse, "I'm not just talking about since he came aboard the last stop. I'm talking about you. Ever since I came aboard, you've been watching her like a kath hound."

"Can you blame me?!" Atton replied defensively. "Like you said so yourself, Red, she's probably got masses of other bounty hunters after her- not to mention the Sith assassins we've already faced on Peragus AND being attacked on Telos AND those damn mercenaries on its restoration zone.” They looked at each other in silence, yet the air was filled with tension. He took a step closer towards the bounty hunter, and with a quieter voice, said, "So you bet your little lady ass I'm worried something's gonna happen to her. Especially with that creepy old woman lurking around."

Mira, unafraid of the man towering over her, took a step closer to him. "I'm not here to pick a fight, Rand. All I'm saying is both you and Mical need to cool it." She looked down and mumbled, "Especially since Korriban."

Atton groaned. "Fine. Fine." He stepped aside towards the refresher door. With one final smug look, he added, "I'm still not convinced you don't want this though," gesturing to himself.

"Oh my god. Stop it." She laughed.

"Just trying to lighten the mood, Red!" He called, his voice trailing off.

 

 

Zanna sat on her bed, resting her head against the wall behind her. She kept bringing her arms up into her view to check if they were still a ghastly pale color- they were.

Hearing three quick knocks on the door of her quarters, she called out, "Come in!"

The long, slim figure of Visas Marr opened the door so it was slightly ajar. "May I enter?" She asked calmly.

Zanna smiled. "Of course, Visas." As her friend shut the door behind her, she explained, "You know, you don't have to ask for my permission on everything."

"It is... difficult for me, I have not had such kindness shown to me for a long time." Visas' calm voice held a note of sadness. "But thank you, Exile."

"And also, you can call me Zanna."

"Of course."

Zanna stared at Visas, whose eyes were covered by a magenta-toned headdress she always wore. Zanna knew that she was a Miraluka, a race from the destroyed planet of Katarr. The only way she had been allowed to see was through her force sensitivity, which had been how she was able to find Zanna and her companions while on Nar Shaddaa.  She was led to believe, however, that Visas wasn’t completely blind- at least in a physical sense. "Is everything alright, Visas?"

"Sort of," she replied, sitting down on the bed besides Zanna. "I have felt a change in the force. A change within you."

"Well, I guess I changed a little bit... I mean I look completely different."

Visas looked alarmed. "Different how?"

"My skin, for starters- I look like an albino kath hound," She explained, trying not to sound too sad about it. "And then my eyes..."

"What about them?"

"Well, they're sort of yellow now. I don't know what-"

"Do you realize what this means? What has happened?"

"What- No? I-"

"Zanna, this is the change I mentioned. Acts influenced by the dark side can corrupt your very appearance. The strange thing..." She trailed off.

"What's the strange thing?!" Zanna cried.

Visas looked like she didn't want to talk. Yet she did. "The strange thing is that, usually, such extreme changes in one's physical appearance only occurs after an extremely powerful and dark deed."

Zanna face drained to an even paler white.

Visas faced her companion. "Zanna, what exactly did you experience within that cave?"

"I..I..." Zanna's breathing began to become rapid once again. She quickly stood up. "I have to go." Running out of the room (nearly knocking over T3-M4 in the process: "DEE-DWOOOOP!" he shouted angrily), tears began to flow down her face as she made her way to the exit ramp of the Ebon Hawk. She repeatedly pressed the button to let down the ramp, as if pressing it over and over again would make it go faster. _Come on... Come on..._

"Zan?" Said a voice from behind her.

"Oh GODS!" She jumped in surprise at the voice, wheeling around to see Atton.

"Why're you leaving?" He asked slowly.

Tears still flowing, she merely shook her head.

"Don't do that. Come on, let's go back to your room."

"V...Visas...." She choked.

"She left. I saw her leave when I came outta the cockpit." He said calmly.

"What's going on?" Bao-Dur had appeared from the workshop, where he usually worked all day. "General! It's good to see you up and well again," he said, spotting Zanna. Bao-Dur and Zanna Hal had both served together during the Mandalorian Wars a few years back. While he was just a tech and she a general, their paths had crossed once again while she, Atton, and Kreia had crash-landed into Telos' restoration zone three weeks prior. The Iridonian/Zabrak alien had helped them escape during that time, and had been with the three the longest.

Regaining composure, Zanna inhaled. "Good to see you too, Bao-Dur."

Atton patted her on the back. "Why don't you go back to your quarters? I'll meet up with you in a second."

She nodded, then walked toward the main hold and entered her quarters. Atton craned his neck to make sure that the door was sealed. "Can I get your opinion on something?" He asked the Iridonian in a hushed tone.

Bao-Dur groaned. "I'm a little busy here. What is it?"

"It won't take more than a minute," Atton assured him.

"All right," Bao-Dur replied, walking back into the garage, "I'll work while you talk."

Atton rubbed his hands together nervously. "Look, your friend, the Jedi- you know her from way back, don't you? How much do you know about her, really?”

Bao-Dur looked up from the workbench he was using. "Zanna? The General? Yeah, during the war, if that's what you mean by way back. Can't say I know too much about her though." He returned his attention to the workbench.

"Better than anyone else on this ship." Atton laughed. "Just... give me your opinion, okay?" And, pointing a finger at his companion, added, "And don't laugh."

"I'm trying to work here, Atton." Bao-Dur mumbled, focused on his repairs.

"I was just wondering if you thought... maybe... she and I might..." He trailed off, still rubbing his hands together in a nervous fit.

Bao-Dur stopped his repairs and looked back at Atton. "You're being serious."

Atton pointed at him again. "You said you wouldn't laugh." He said defensively.

"You _are_ being serious," Bao-Dur said in disbelief. Laughing, he continued. "Atton, she was a _general_ , I was just a _tech_. Your guess is about as good as mine."

"Well, what's your guess then?"

"I'm getting back to work." Bao-Dur mumbled, shaking his head.

"Hey! I'm being serious here."

Atton hadn't noticed that T3-M4 had made his way once again behind him. A hint of mockery within his whistles and beeps, he exclaimed, "BEEP-BEREEEEEP DEEP!"

" _You're laughing at me?_ " Atton cried in disbelief. "I'll put you on the scrap heap, you rolling tin can!” As he walked away, he could hear Bao-Dur chuckling in the garage.

 


	2. Pure Pazaak

CHAPTER 2: PURE PAZAAK

 

Zanna once again sat on her bed, her head resting against the wall, just as she had before Visas came in. Only this time, tears were silently streaming down her cheeks. Her crying had slowed down, although her cheeks were still wet. She had been sitting for a few minutes waiting for Atton, who had promised to meet up with her.  
She exhaled deeply, thinking back to what Visas had told her earlier. Her thoughts were interrupted by Atton knocking on the doorframe. "You okay?" He asked.  
"Sort of."  
He walked towards the bunk and sat beside her. "What happened? I thought you were... you know, doing okay since you came to."  
She shrugged. "I was. But... Visas told me something."  
Atton raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What was it?"  
"Well, obviously I look different-"  
"Do you? I hadn't even noticed."  
"Atton, this is serious," she told him sternly.  
He raised his hands defensively. "Okay, okay, sorry. You know I can't help it."  
"Well try."  
"I can't promise anything, Zan." He tilted his head and looked at her more seriously. "What did she tell you?"  
Zanna closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, whispering, "That... this... this thing... only happens after a particularly heinous -and powerful- dark act."  
"Oh..." Atton trailed off. For once, the smart mouthed scoundrel had nothing to say.  
They sat in silence for a minute or two, and Atton could sense her pain.  
"Zan... what... happened in there?" he asked her, his voice barely a whisper.  
She only shook her head, the tears beginning to flow more heavily again. "I can't. I can't tell you."  
"Why not?"  
She opened her eyes, her cutting yellow eyes, and looked directly at him. "You'd hate me."  
He chuckled. "Hal, c'mon," he said. "You've gotten me imprisoned, chased by Sith, in a battle on Dantooine-" He was counting the experiences on his fingers now. "Oh, and let's not forget that because of you I blew up a planet, fought countless bounty hunters to save you, not to mention all the assassin droids, and having to deal with basically everyone on board." He smiled at her. "If I haven't hated you yet, there isn’t anything that could make me actually hate you."  
She smiled back at him. "I've gotten you into quite a mess, haven't I?"  
"Oh, absolutely." He said without any hesitation. He nudged her. "But, it's been one hell of an adventure. And I'm with you to the end of this. I’ve been by your side since we met on Peragus, and I'll stay there for as long as you need me.”

 

"Nice outfit!" The man in the force cage glared at her as she walked in. "What, you miners change regulation uniforms since I've been in here?"  Zanna Hal groaned. Not only was she not expecting anyone else on this mining planet, but she also did not expect to still be clothed in what she awoke in. Only minutes previous, she had regained consciousness after being in a kolto tank for Force knows how long. Since she obviously was being medically treated, she had on a brown, sleeveless and legless one-piece… Her underwear. She hadn't been lucky enough to find any other clothing on her search to find a ship. "I'd keep those eyes up, and tell me who you are." She ordered, in front of the cage that held the man prisoner. He was scruffy-looking, with a ribbed jacket and short, messy brown hair.  "Atton." He told her. "Atton Rand. Excuse me if I don't shake hands- the field only causes minor electrical burns."  She glared at him. "You're quite the funny guy, aren't you?"  He shrugged. "It has it's cons."  "Care to explain why you're locked up?" She inquired.  "Security claimed I violated some trumped-up regulation or another." He folded his arms. "Take it up with them if you want, but they stopped listening to me shortly before they stopped feeding me. Now THAT'S criminal."  "I can't take it up with anyone." She said, beginning to lose patience.  "Why's-"  "The facility's deserted. Why?"  He shrugged. "You mean before or after the Jedi showed up? Either way, it's a short story."  Zanna silently panicked. 'Oh my god...' She thought to herself. 'Am I the reason everyone on this planet is dead?'  Atton continued. "You see, this Jedi shows up, and you know what that means- when there's one Jedi, the Republic will soon be crawling up your ion engine in no time.  "But the story gets better," He continued on sarcastically. "See, some of the miners got it into their ferrocrete skulls that since the Jedi's unconscious, they can collect the bounty the Exchange has posted for live Jedi. Well, what passes for the law here didn't like that, so two groups started fighting. Then there was some big explosion, I was sitting here for a long time, then you showed up in your underwear and things got a lot better."  Zanna scowled. "Stop being an ass and answer my questions."  "Look," Atton said, seeming to get restless, "Not that your half-naked interrogation isn't a personal fantasy of mine, but-" He trailed off, staring at the woman in front of him.  "What, did your brain stop working?"  "You're the Jedi the miners were talking about, aren't you?"  She hesitated. 'If there's a bounty on the Jedi, he probably wants to cash in on it... but he seems harmless.’ Plus, she figured, he was still in a cage. "Yes. Yes, I am."  "Damn," He said, clearly impressed. "But, where is everybody?"  "Don't-" Zanna started to say, confused. "Don't you know what happened to them?"  "What, from my glorious view inside this cell? Yeah, no." He paused. "Look- hey, let me out, and I can help you. Serious. This facility isn't a military installation, which means we may have a chance."  "What are you implying?"  "You shut down this cell's security field, and I can re-route the emergency systems so we can get to the hangar. We grab a ship, and we fly out of here."   She stared at him, and used the force to see if he was lying. Shocked, she sensed he was telling the truth. Vibrosword in hand, she agreed. "All right. Fine. I'll let you out."  "Excellent!" Atton cried.  "But-" she added with a stern expression, "If you try and run, I'll cut you down without a second thought."  "Deal." He agreed.  Zanna moved to the right of the cell where the security switches were, and quickly shut down the force field surrounding Atton. He slowly stepped forward.  "Alright, that's more like it. Now follow me!" He began to make his way out of the prison and towards the central control station.  Zanna rolled her eyes. 'This one is going to be the death of me…’

 

"So... what exactly did you do, Zan?"  
She looked at him, still silently crying. "Can you close the door?" She whispered. "I don't want the others to hear."  
"Of course." He quickly got up and pulled the door to her quarters shut before returning to her side.  
She exhaled deeply. "I don't know how..." She staggered in her breathing. "I don't know how, but-" She struggled, trying to think of the words to say. "I... I re-lived all the critical moments of the War."  
Atton's expression shifted to a more concerned one. "And what were those?"  
"Being recruited... By Alek." Seeing the somewhat confused look on her friend's face, she added, "Later Malak. As in, Lord Malak. Sith Lord." She paused. "You know him?" She asked sarcastically.  
Atton laughed. "I thought we were being serious."  
"I had an opening to mock your cluelessness. I couldn't pass that up."  
"Fine," he chuckled. "So you were recruited by Malak himself?"  
"Yeah." She said sadly. "I was the first one to willingly join. I stood there, with five or six others. And I went without a second thought."  
"You were just doing what you thought was right, Hal. You can't change the past."  
She started crying harder. "But I did it again."  
Atton was puzzled. "What-?"  
"I walked right into the position I stood in years ago. It's like the cave knew exactly what was in my head- especially my regrets. The situation was exactly the same. It's like I was back in time..." She put her hand in a fist and rested it on her forehead, obviously distraught. "And I did the exact same thing."  
"Well-"  
"Even after I knew all the horrors that it brought, all the losses that came with it, even though it's what brought upon my exile... I still went."  
Atton was silent.  
After a few moments of tears and sniffles, she continued. "The other people faded away after I made my choice. Then came the next room. It was my worst call I made as General."  
"What happened?" Atton whispered.  
“It was my first battle as a leader for the Republic; on Dxun. I didn’t explicitly follow my orders… because of it, my troops went straight through a minefield to fight off the Mandalorians. There were so many losses..." She trailed off, reflecting on the memory. "They begged me not to. They begged. But I just had to go and do my own thing anyway. And once again, I made the same call."  
Atton scratched his head. "Zan..."  
She just shook her head. "That's not the worst of it though." She looked at him sadly. "Not the worst."  
Atton hung his head in silence, waiting for her to tell him.  
"It was Kreia... she looked... so dark. She greeted me, praising me for making it that far." She paused. "Then you showed up."  
Atton snapped his head up. "What?!"  
She nodded. "Yeah. You told me to get away from her because she was a dark Jedi. You two bantered for a bit as usual, and then, one by one, all of the other came in as well. They were all saying how she needed to be killed."  
Atton stared at her in disbelief.  
"And then," she sighed, "I was given a choice. By Kreia herself: listen to all of you and murder her, or go on without any of you and remain her student.” She hung her head and wept.  
Atton sat, still confused. Then, it hit him. "No." He sighed. "Zanna, you did, didn't you?"  
"I killed her. It was so easy, too. Just two quick swipes of the sabers and she was down."  
Atton slid closer to her on the bed, and put an arm around her.  
"The most disturbing part for me, though, was that as soon as I turned around from... from what I did, you all looked different."  
"How so?"  
She looked up into his eyes. "Like the dark side had corrupted you- Like it’s done to me."  
"Why do you think that happened?"  
"I think it's because I'm so close to all of you. I'm your and Mical's mentors in the Force, Bao-Dur and I have gotten closer, and Mira and I are good friends now." She stopped for a moment. "I think it's because I've been influencing you all without knowing it."  
"Listen, Hal. Whatever you thought you saw in that cave, it's the past. It's gone now, okay?" He wiped away some tears that were streaming down her cheek. "Damn, for such a powerful Jedi you sure act like a gizka sometimes."  
She elbowed him, laughing. "Oh, shut up."  
"Anyway, it was all just in your head."  
"But-"  
"Hey!" He said, standing up. "That gives me an idea. Follow me."  
He dashed out the door, leaving Zanna alone. "What?" She called after him.  
He appeared in the doorway again, holding a deck of cards.  
She stared at the deck in his hands. "What's with that?"  
He smiled at her. "Let's play some pazaak.”

 

"You have brushed the surface thoughts of another; it is a start." That was as close to a compliment that Kreia had ever given, and Zanna was pleased with herself. Moments earlier, her old-aged mentor had taught her how to infiltrate the minds of her companions. She started with Visas Marrs, whose thoughts were consumed about the destruction of her home world.  "That's amazing," Zanna breathed. "I want to do it again. I want to see if I can hear my other friends' thoughts."  Kreia scowled. "Friends... followers, slaves, it makes no difference." The old woman had never been keen on having any more passengers join them on board the Ebon Hawk- especially because of Atton. Zanna didn't quite understand why- he never did anything to deserve her extreme disapproval, and because of him, they were able to escape the world of Peragus while avoiding the Sith who pursued them.  "For the last time, they are my fri-"  "Calm yourself," Kreia stated, ignoring the young Jedi's protest. "And this time, silence your own thoughts, keep them still."  Zanna exhaled deeply, and closed her eyes.  "Imagine the waters of the Room of a Thousand Fountains," Kreia's cold and croaky voice commanded. "Each stream suddenly falling silent and still. "Imagine the ice of Telos, cold and smooth, as it gathers upon the plateau." The image was clear within the young woman's mind now, and felt like one with the Force. Also sensing the success of focusing her mind, Kreia continued: "Now stretch out, feel the ship around you. Strip away the metal, and see the souls and minds of those that fill its corridors, with more thoughts and dreams and worries than can fill the space of this ship."  Feeling the Force flow through her, Zanna reached out with her mind to the sentients on board.  '...as my feet walk from the ashes of Katarr, I shall not fear..." Visas' thoughts were still consumed by her planet. '...for in fear, lies death, and...'  She stretched out further. '...how could the Jedi leave the Republic?' This time it was Mical's voice she heard, seemingly distraught. He had expressed verbally his confusion on the subject, but to hear the utmost concern in his thoughts was painful. "Was it because of the Civil War? Is it possible that they...'  Zanna stretched further still, searching throughout the ship to hear the thoughts of her companions. '...this place is so quiet. Nothing like Nar Shaddaa...'I don't even know why the pfassk I'm here.’ Mira's voice was present now, and she was musing about her homesickness. Zanna had previously talked to Mira- as she was restless since deciding to board the Ebon Hawk. She had been a bounty hunter on Nar Shaddaa for years, if not her lifetime, so sitting idle on a ship no doubt was effecting her. ''Hmmm..' her thoughts continued, 'Wonder how much the bounty on the Jedi is now...' Zanna smiled. Mira had initially found her attempting to collect the bounty for a live Jedi, and decided to help her out instead.  Suddenly, thoughts came to Zanna's attention that seemed to be louder than the rest as she continued onto the cockpit. The thoughts belonged to Atton, and they were indeed confusing.  "Focus on my voice, now." Kreia had suddenly spoken, breaking the connection to Atton's mind. "Now do you hear me? Truly hear me?" She inquired of her student.  "Yes. This is amazing," Zanna breathed, still confused about Atton's thoughts. "Thank you, Kreia."  The old woman simply nodded, then turned away to meditate once more.

 

"Atton, I don't think this is the time for pazaak."  
He looked at her from the doorframe. "C'mon, Hal. Please trust me on this." He walked toward her, stretching out his hand.  
She still sat on her bed from her conversation with Atton- against the outcome she predicted, he had no reaction of disgust or hatred for her actions. She hesitated, then took his hand, standing up. "Fine. How does this work?"  
Still holding her hand, he dragged her to the kitchen, where there was a table to play on. "I'll show you. It's easy once you get the hang of it." They sat next to each other at the table, where Atton shuffled a pile of green cards. "These," he said, continuing to shuffle, "are the standard cards. At the start of your turn, you'll turn one of these face up on your side."  
"Okay..." she said, somewhat perplexed. "What's the ultimate goal here?"  
"You're trying to get your cards to add up to twenty, or as close as possible." He then took out another, but smaller, stack of cards that were red and green in color. "These are your side-deck cards," He explained. "You get five of these. The blue ones can alter your total by plus one or plus two, or three, and so on. The red ones, on the other hand, will decrease your total if you happen to get over twenty." He had finished placing all the cards on the table and looked at her. "You ready?"  
She nodded hesitantly. "I guess."  
She turned over her first green card: a ten. "Alright, you're already half way there." Atton grinned. He then turned over a green: a seven. They continued on until Zanna's total was eighteen, and Atton's was nineteen. "I'm going to stand," He proclaimed. "So, you can use one that's in your sidedeck, or try your luck for a green two card." He smirked. "Your choice."  
Zanna grinned back at him. "You're pretty good at this game, huh?"  
"I'd like to think of myself as a master." He said confidently. "Running around the galaxy gets kind of boring, so typically spent a lot of time in cantinas or pubs. I got a lot of credits from it."  
"Well that's too bad." Zanna smiled. She took one of her sidedeck cards and smacked it on the table-it was a plus two, making her total twenty, and consequently beating Atton. She pointed right in his face. "Take that, scruffy!"  
He folded his arms, still smiling. "Alright, now what are you thinking about right now?  
"How I just beat your gizka-ass and computed the totals to twenty, that's what!"  
He nodded. "Let me tell you something, Zan." He leaned against the table, suddenly getting serious. "I've spent a lot of time around people or things that take control over your mind- and more often than not, they'll take whatever is on your mind and use it against you."  
Zanna's smile faded, and her stomach dropped. "Atton, I-"  
"Hold on, just let me finish, Hal. Trust me." He smiled at her. "So I play pazaak in my head. I do it all the time. Because if you don't you've left the door open. And anyone could walk right on in."  
Zanna's conscience rang loud. She recalled back to her lesson with Kreia, where she had invaded Atton's thoughts as well. "Atton... I need to confess something to you."  
He cocked his head, still intently looking at her. "Something up?"  
She exhaled. "I... I- well, awhile back, Kreia taught me how to search people's minds." She looked down in guilt. "And I looked into yours. You were playing pazaak then, too."  
Atton huffed, and sat back against the chair he was seated in, folding his arms.  
She once again looked up at him. "Atton, I'm really sorry."  
He scoffed. "Of course you did." He said, shaking his head. "You see, Jedi- light or dark, it doesn't make a damn difference- they do it. And way more than you think."  
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize-"  
He shook his head. "But I never heard one say they were sorry before." She looked up at him, surprised by the lack of anger in his voice that was present a second earlier, and he was giving her a warm smile. "That's a new house rule," he added with a chuckle.  
She smiled back. "Well, I mean it. And now I get it- you play pazaak to shield your thoughts."  
He shrugged. "Nah, I just play it in my head. But while I'm doing that, it's a lot harder for someone to walk in."  
"So, can you teach me to do that?"  
"I can only teach you how to play pazaak." He leaned forward. "Understand, Jedi?"  
"Then teach me pazaak." She finally understood him a little better.  
"Good," he mused. "You do understand!" He took all the cards on the table and began to shuffle them once more. "All right," he added. "I'll deal then."  
Zanna frowned. "There's one thing I don't get."  
Atton, still shuffling cards, looked at her. "And what's that?"  
"Why did you show me this?"  
He stopped and put the cards down. "Zan, you were torn apart from Korriban. It was... it was painful to see you come out. You looked so shaken. And since you passed out, I had no idea what you had to deal with. I only guessed that it was something big. And when you told me that it was if some entity was reading your mind to bring back all those hellish memories, I knew I had to show you this. I had to. Seeing you like that..." He shivered. "It was rough. So the next time you were fighting someone- or something- that has the control over your mind, I wanted you to know to play pazaak. That way, when they try to get inside your head, suddenly it's not as easy as they thought."  
Zanna was silent, listening. She realized she (and Kreia, as well,) had severely underestimated the scoundrel's intelligence.  
Atton continued, his voice becoming more and more quiet. "Because you'll be sitting right next to me-" He reached out at put his hand atop hers. She looked at their hands, while he looked into her eyes. "-playing pazaak, where they can't reach you."  
The moment was a quiet one, Zanna breathless. The moment had been way more intimate than she had thought any moment ever could be- for once, they understood each other entirely, no barriers of the Force or backgrounds separating them. She slowly looked at him, his scruffy face close to her own. Atton's fingers interlocked between hers, and he began to move closer toward her. Jedi aren't supposed to have relationships... Jedi aren't supposed to do this... But... am I really a Jedi? Her mind was spinning, the desire outweighing the preachings she had once known while in the Order. I'm still exiled... I no longer belong to the Order. She realized quickly that she was no longer a part of any sort of side to the Force, so it wouldn't matter anymore. Their faces drew closer and closer, until-  
"I hope I am not interrupting anything." A stern voice suddenly said.  
Atton immediately drew his hand away from the exile's; and both of them jumped back. "Dammit," he breathed, almost inaudibly.  
"What is it, Mical?" Zanna asked in an annoyed tone.  
Atton, meanwhile, stood up. "I should get back to the cockpit." He looked down at Zanna. "If you need anything, don't hesitate." And with that, he swiftly walked away.  
Mical and Atton stared at each other as he passed. "Oh, for the love of the Force..." she mumbled.  
"I am certain I interrupted something." Mical finally said.  
Zanna gawked at him. "Yeah, kind of."  
He gestured to a seat across from her. "May I?"  
"Sure."  
He sat down, looking nervous. "I was worried about you. I had not known you had regained consciousness until just a moment ago, I apologize."  
Zanna exhaled. "It's fine, Mical. No need to apologize."  
"I wanted to make sure you were alright, and if you needed any healing." The Disciple had a gift for treating injury, and since he came aboard he often served as the designated medic on board.  
"No thank you, I'm good."  
He nodded. "That is good to hear."  
She nodded. The pair became silent, an awkward aura filling the kitchen space. A few moments passed by when Bao-Dur's remote- a spherical robot that aided his master with repairs- floated into the kitchen.  
"Beeop Dwoooop!" It whistled, spinning around, facing Zanna. "Dee-Deep Bwoop?" It chirped.  
She shook her head. "No, there's no extra screwdriver in here." She paused. "At least I don't think there is..." She added, uncertain.  
"Dwoooop..." The remote whistled sadly.  
"I'm sorry!" Zanna said to the little ball. It floated away back to the garage.  
Mical looked at Zanna, intrigued. "How did you understand it?" He inquired.  
She shrugged. "I've picked up most languages throughout the Jedi training and the War. You pick it up."  
"Well, it is most impressive." He added warmly.  
"Thanks."  
The awkward silence returned. Zanna considered reaching out into his mind to see what he was there for, but after what Atton told her, she decided against it.  
"Well..." Mical finally said, standing up once again, "I am most glad you are doing well. If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to come and talk with me."  
She smiled at him. "I won't. Thanks, Mical."  
He bowed, and then retreated back the medical bay, where he had taken up living.  
After he was gone, Zanna slouched in her seat at the table. Pure pazaak... she thought to herself. What in the name of the Force just happened...  
"BEE-DEET!"  
Zanna jumped at the set of whistles. "T3, is that you?!" She cried, turning around.  
The droid emerged from behind a stack of food supplies. “DWOOP DEE-DEET!"  
"Of course you were hiding there this whole time." She muttered. He had gained the habit of eavesdropping on nearly everyone on board, and this time was no exception.  
“BWOOP DOP BEE-BEEP!" He snickered  
"I don't care what you saw or what you heard, if you tell anyone else about this, I will personally take you back to Nar Shaddaa and sell you to the first vendor I find!" Zanna said, threatening the droid.  
He moved forward, making his way out of the kitchen. "DWOOOOP..." He whistled angrily.  
Zanna smiled. "Yeah, that's what I thought.”


	3. Restless

**CHAPTER 3: RESTLESS**

 

 

“You, uh, wanted to see me?” Zanna stepped through the doorway of her mentor’s quarters cautiously.

Kreia was kneeling in the middle of the room, most likely meditating. She often did, as she couldn’t physically see any longer. “Yes, I did.” Her croaky voice filled the room. “We have much to discuss, hm?”

Zanna hesitated, not knowing if she should stay put or go closer to her mentor. “I guess so…”

Kreia finally stood and turned toward her padawan. As usual, her eyes were covered by the brown hooded cloak she always wore, her grey braids falling next to her face. “You are troubled. I can feel it. It is weighing you down.”

“Yeah, you could say that…” Zanna mumbled. Having the old woman constantly looking into her thoughts was getting irritating. True, she had done the same things to her companions, but she did it once and vowed never to invade their heads again. Kreia, on the other hand, had seemingly never ceased to do so since they met on Peragus. Unfortunately for Zanna, somehow an intense bond created by the force linked them together, so now, whether she wanted it or not, Kreia would never cease to be with her.

“The tomb on Korriban has shaken you,” the old woman mused. “Why?”

“You know damn well why,” Zanna snapped, without any hesitation. “You sent me in there knowing exactly what would happen.”

Kreia smirked. “Then you will know why I sent you in there in the first place.”

Zanna stared at her angrily. “What are you talking about?”

“You had to examine your past. Through the past, we become stronger in the future.”

“I’m tired of you being cryptic.” Zanna walked toward her. “For once I want some answers.”

“You want answers?!” Kreia cried. “Fine. The trials you experienced were necessary for what you must face now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you forgotten why we came to this dead planet to begin with?! Or has this one moment of weakness clouded your perspective on the entirety of this quest you have begun?”

Zanna stared at her, open-mouthed, in confusion. “What…” Her mind stirred for a moment, then clarity came: “Master Vash.” She stomped in anger. “Sith’s blood….”

“She is the purpose we came here.” Kreia turned back, getting down on her knees once again. “The trials in the tomb were merely to prepare you for what you will face.”

“And what would that be?”

“The old Sith Academy. It is north-east of the shyrack caves. What you seek will be there.”

“Fine,” Zanna said, turning back around. “I’ll head out in the morning.”

“Hmm.” Kreia muttered. “You will need the rest. Wise choice.”

Zanna scowled. “Yeah, thanks.”

The young Jedi stalked out of Kreia’s quarters. As angry as she was at the woman, she did have a point- they came to Korriban to find Master Vash. She was one of the pieces of the puzzle to find out why Zanna was exiled from the Order. They had only succeeded in finding the master who had fled to Nar Shadaa- Master Zez-Kai Ell- but he had been mysteriously slain before she could ask him any questions. They had no luck on Dantooine either to find Master Vrook; the only thing the gang had found out was that he had gone into a highly dangerous area and could already be dead. They had one more planet to go to before they officially ran out of options…

She wound up into the main hold, where Atton was playing pazaak with T3-M4.

“How’s our elderly passenger?” He mumbled, eyes focused on the game. “Still aging?”

Zanna huffed. “Cryptic as always.” She sat down next to T3. “Who’s winning?”

“DEE-DEE-BREEEP!” T3 whistled happily.

“Dammit!” Atton threw the sidedeck cards in his hand on the table. “It’s only because you cheated!” Atton shouted, standing up. “I swear, next time, if you end up having all plus-minus one cards, I’ll scrap ya, you rolling trash can!”

Zanna laughed. “So, you got schooled by a droid…”

T3 whistled in a mocking manner. 

“No, I was beaten by a cheater!” Atton persisted.

T3 whistled happily, then started rolling away.

“Good luck with that!” Zanna shouted out to him. Seeing Atton’s confusion, she added, “He’s gonna go work on the hyperdrive.”

“Ah,” he replied. He smoothed out his ribbed jacket, calming himself, then sat back down. “So what’d that old witch want?”

“To tell me that I have more to do on this damn planet,” She sighed. “In the old Academy.”

“Hal, c'mon! You’re not going back out there.” He looked at her seriously. “Hasn’t this place done enough to you?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, it has. But I came here for a reason, and I haven’t accomplished what I came to do yet.”

Mira appeared from the kitchen, holding a bag of dried fruit. “What’d I miss?”

“We have to go back to Korriban,” Atton sighed in annoyance. “To the Sith Academy.”

“That’s dumb.” Mira looked back from the scoundrel to the Jedi. “Why?”

“One of the Masters should be in there.”

“Should be?” Mira asked, putting food in her mouth.

Zanna shook her head. “Call it a hunch.”

“There are no such things as hunches for Jedi of your strength,” said Mical emerging from the medical bay.

Zanna threw up her hands. “Why doesn’t everyone just come in?”

“Surely, you know this.” The Disciple continued.

“Zan, I’m sensing you’re not telling us something.” Atton glowered at her, trying to get her to say.

She groaned. “Why did I decide to train you both…” She mumbled. “I just had to let you both become Jedi, too-”

“So, spill it.” Atton ordered.

“This should be good,” Mira mused, sitting down.

“Fine! Fine.” Zanna flailed her arms around to get everyone to stop talking. “Kreia told me.”

“So she knows what is to come if you continue?” Mical asked, confused. “Then why does she not just tell you what you will undoubtedly face?”

“Yeah, that seems like a load of bantha poodoo.” Atton grumbled. He then perked up. “But, if she ‘knows’ this for sure, then the Jedi you’re looking for has to be in there, right?”

“I mean, she was cryptic, like she usually is, but she absolutely wants me to believe that Vash is in there.” She sighed. “So, to answer your question, yes she should be in there.”

“Then what have you to fear?” Mical asked. “You have no doubt faced worse things than what could possibly be in an old, abandoned academy, right?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of…” Zanna started. 

“What do you mean?” Atton inquired. “What’s in there?”

“Can’t be worse than whatever caused you to pass out for three days,” Mira said, chewing on her snacks. The three looked at her. “What?!” She cried defensively. “It can’t!”

Zanna shook her head. “She didn’t say exactly what as in there. All I know is that the tomb was preparation for what’s inside.”

Atton groaned. “Are you kidding me?!”

“That is not comforting…” Mical mumbled.

“Oh damn!” Mira muttered, unconvinced of all the Jedi nonsense that was going on.

“Everyone just calm down!” Zanna shouted. “Guys, I appreciate the concern or whatever, but I can’t afford to be freaked out about it.” She stood up. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to bed to rest up for the morning.” She looked menacingly at the three. “If any of you were planning on accompanying me, I suggest you do the same. Goodnight.”

She walked off, leaving the three others speechless.

“I shall heed her advice,” Mical finally spoke. “I intend to aide her as well as I can in the morning. So, I bid you all good evening.” He too walked off towards the medical bay.

Mira leaned in closer to Atton. “Why does he talk like that?” She whispered.

“Not entirely sure.” He replied. “Although, when we first met him, he was locked in a library in some ruins. So, that could be part of it.” He smirked.

“He weirds me out.” She stared at the med bay, placing some more of the snacks in her mouth.

Atton reached into the bag quickly, snatching a handful of her fruit, before running away.

“HEY!” Mira shouted, pulling out one of her blaster rifles. “Next time you do that, a bolt goes through the back of your skull!”

 

 

_“You are to be commended for making it this far.” Kreia stood in the middle of the cave, but she looked different somehow…._  
“Wait, how did you get h-”  
“GET AWAY FROM HER, ZAN!”  
She turned around, seeing Atton running up behind her. “Atton?” She asked in confusion. “What do you mean?”  
“She’s a dark Jedi.” He looked malicious, the anger present in his voice. He too, looked different- he looked menacing, pale and cracked skin replacing his usual scruffy face.  
Kreia used the Force to push him backwards. “Get out of here, murderer,” She hissed at him. “This is a private matter between Zanna and myself.”  
He instantly sprung to his feet and ignited his lightsaber. “No way in hell.”  
Zanna stood there, afraid, not knowing what to do. “Guys-”  
“You should know when to back out of a situation you cannot escape from.” Kreia leapt with the aid of the Force towards him, igniting her own ‘saber.  
“Wh-Why is your lightsaber red?!” Zanna cried.  
Paying no attention to her padawan, Kreia used the Force to put the young man into a state of paralysis. Putting her blade to his throat, she hissed, “I warned you, you pathetic-”  
“What in the name of the Force is going on here?” Bao-Dur had appeared from the opposite side of the cave, his remote following close behind.  
Kreia turned toward him. “I would advise you to stay out of this and leave now..”  
“What’s going on here?!” Zanna cried helplessly.  
“You’re threatening Atton with a lightsaber, and I’m just supposed to stay out of it?” Bao-Dur cried. “ ** _Never_** _.”_  
Kreia’s blade retracted. “The two of you would go up against me _?” She laughed, Atton falling forward, free from the stasis field._  
With the blink of an eye, suddenly Visas, Mira, T3, and Mical were all in the cave, standing side-by-side.  
“She needs to be killed.” They all said in unison. “She’s manipulating you! And all of us, too!”  
Kreia laughed, turning to Zanna. “What have you to say, little Jedi?”  
“I… I don’t know…”  
“You either leave this place with me, and me alone-” Kreia stated, “Or you team up and murder me. You have to choose.”  
“What?!” Zanna’s breathing became rapid.  
“She’s been using you,” Atton said quietly. “Think about it.”  
She looked at the others, who were all nodding in agreement. ‘Maybe I have been used…’ She thought. ‘They wouldn’t all tell me to do something so heinous if they weren’t sure.’  
Zanna looked at Kreia. “I’m sorry, Kreia, but your lies end here.”  
“Am I not worthy of redemption?!” Kreia cried.  
Zanna didn’t respond. She couldn’t. Igniting her lightsabers, she breathed heavily, then with a swipe of her right hand, beheaded the old woman. Zanna gaped in despair, and tears began to flow.  
Kreia’s body fell onto the sandy ground, while the head rolled towards her feet. It stopped, face up. The hood usually covering her eyes had come off, and Zanna was finally looking at her mentor’s face fully for the first time- but the eyes had closed. She knelt on the ground, silently sobbing, staring at Kreia’s head.  
Without warning, the eyelids flickered open, revealing entirely black eyes. Zanna staggered back, the voice of Kreia ringing throughout the cave: “ ** _MURDERER_** _!”_

 

 

Zanna screamed, waking up in an instant. She sat bolt upright in her bed, bursting into uncontrollable sobs. “Why…” She muttered, bringing her head to her knees. She wept alone. The image of Kreia’s head, the black eyes staring into her very soul, came into her mind every time she closed her eyes.

Impulsively, she stood up to go to the refresher, perhaps to splash some cold water onto her face, or just to get away from her room. She closed the refresher door behind her, and looked into the mirror- the image of a young woman with sickly pale skin and yellow eyes looked back at her. “What am I…” She whispered, tears flowing harder. Her head hurt, so she decided to undo her black hair that was put into its usual braid. She brushed it with her fingers, then turned on the sink to get some water running. Trying to control her breathing, she got some water in the palms of her hands and then splashed it onto her face. She dabbed her face with a nearby towel, then moved towards the opposite wall, and slowly slid onto the ground.

Suddenly, there were three quiet knocks on the door. Voice trembling, she yelled out, “Sorry I’ll be out in a second.”

The door opened anyway, and Atton looked down at the Jedi. “I heard you screaming,” He said quietly.

She covered her face with her hands. “Did I wake you up?”

“Nah,” He muttered. “I don’t usually head to bed for another hour or so.” He walked towards her, and kneeled down. “Zan, what happened?”

She wiped the tears from her face. “Nothing, I’m fine-” She tried to stand up, but her legs failed her, and she fell back onto the cold metal ground. “Dammit…” She whispered, tears starting to stream down her face again.

“Aw, Zan…” He muttered sadly, wiping away the hair sticking to her tear-strewn face. “Okay, come on, Hal.” Atton stooped down and picked her up, almost cradling her.

“Thanks,” She sniffed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He carried her in silence, her occasional sniffles being the only noise. She rested her head on his shoulder, still silently crying. “It’s okay,” He whispered to her. “I’ve got you. You’re okay.”

They soon returned to her quarters, and he stood above her bed, the Jedi still in his arms. They stood in silence, her pain spoke louder than anything.

“Well…” Atton whispered, unsure of what to do, “I hope you-”

“Stay with me?” She pleaded quietly.

He looked down at her. “What?”

She met his eyes, her eyes glazed with tears. “I don’t want that to happen again…” She choked.

“Of course, Zan. I’ll stay with you.” He placed her down gently on the bed, then lied down next to her.

“Thanks.” She was still so weak, but the crying had slowed a little bit. She nestled closer to him, placing her hand on his chest.

“Hey, if I ever pass up the opportunity to spend the night next to a beautiful woman, that’s the sign I’ve lost it,” He chuckled.

She looked up at him. “You think I’m beautiful?” She whispered.

He laughed. “Well, yeah! Any man with a working set of eyes would. Haven’t you ever been told that?”

She shook her head. “Jedi aren’t-”

“Oh yeah,” He mumbled. “You guys aren’t allowed to show feelings or any emotion other than to be wise, right?”

“Kind of, yeah.” She rested her head just under his.

“Let me tell you, Zan,” He said, putting his arm around her, “If you had grown up anywhere else besides the Jedi Academy, you’d have been hearing that your whole life.”

She smiled. “Thanks.”

He sat in silence, thinking. Zanna noticed. “What is it?” She asked.

“I just was curious as to what your life was like, is all.” He muttered.

“Well,” She sighed. “There’s not much to it. I was taken to become a Jedi when I was a child. Don’t remember much other than that. Then, when I was nineteen, the Jedi decided to serve absolutely no one by not helping the Republic during the Mandalorian Wars, so I went out to do something about it.”

“You were only nineteen?!” Atton asked, amazed. “Damn.”

“Yeah,” She laughed. “The day I turned twenty is when I was made General.” She stopped. “And then I think we both know what happened after that.”

“Yeah…” He whispered. “Malachor, then the Civil War.”

She looked up at him. “Did you serve in the War?”

He hesitated. “Served in both, actually.” She sat up, surprising him. “What?”

“Both?” She was shocked. “What were you doing in the Jedi Civil war?”

Atton shook his head, sitting up as well. “It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time.”

“You’re so stubborn,” he said. He then looked at her in the eyes. “It- it’s not something that, that I’m proud of. You probably won’t want me here after I tell you, to be honest.”

She smiled at him. “Atton, I told you about what happened in that cave- about my past- and your opinion of me didn’t change. I promise you, I won’t think any less of you.”

“Okay,” He muttered. Pointing a finger at her, he added, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

She sat cross-legged in front of him, waiting for his story.

“Well, you know about the woman who showed me the Force?”

She nodded. A few weeks ago, he had come to her with the desire to learn more about the Force, as he had been shown it by a woman in his past. She agreed, and Atton had taken the steps to become a Jedi, too.

He breathed deeply. “She showed me the Force- right before I killed her.”

Zanna’s eyes widened. “What?”

“I was recruited by Revan during the Wars to help remove all the Jedi.”

“You.. you killed Jedi?”

He nodded slowly. “Yeah. A lot of them. But this woman was different.”

Zanna cocked her head. “How so?”

“I had been assigned to murder her, and right before I did, she… she showed me the Force. I felt her forgiveness. There wasn’t any hatred or anger, either…” He paused. She noticed the far-off gaze in his eyes, fixated on the image in his mind. “She just knew what I was doing and accepted it. I think I loved her.”

Zanna felt her heart drop. “Oh…”

He quickly snapped back into reality. “Oh no, it wasn’t that kind of love. I think it was the kind of love where you’re just willing to give everything up for someone you don’t even know.” He looked at her. “You know what I mean?”

She nodded. “I do. That happens when you’re a Jedi.” She smiled at him. “If you thought that that would change my opinion of you, you’re mistaken.”

He smiled back at her. “Yeah?”

“I admire your honesty. Thank you, Atton.”

“You’re welcome.” They sat in silence for a moment. He then slid down, tired of sitting up. She moved to the side so he could fully extend his legs. “I’m glad I got that off my chest.”

“Have you ever told that to anyone before?” She asked quietly.

He shook his head. “Nope.”

She lied down on her side, using her elbow as a prop while her hand supported her head. “Why not?” She breathed.

He turned to his side to face her. “You’re special to me.” He answered. “Ever since I met you, I knew it, too. I usually don’t let anyone into my past, but you’re different.”

She smiled at him. “Why’s that?”

He shook his head, lost for words. “I don’t know. But remember what I said about that other kind of love?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s kind of like that. I’d be willing to give up everything for you, Zanna Hal. I really would.”

She looked at him in awe. Then quietly, she added, “I have that other kind of love for you, too.”

The two stared at each other for a moment, then he abruptly cupped the side of her face, bringing their lips together.

Surprised, Zanna initially pulled her head back.

“Oh, Force, I’m so sorry!” Atton started. “I shouldn’t have-”

He was interrupted by her pulling him in by his collar and kissing him. He brought his hand to the back of her neck, pulling her closer, further into his embrace. She brought her hands up to cup his face, and the two paused for a moment. She smiled at him as they both caught their breath.

He gave her a crooked smile. “I thought you weren’t supposed to do this?” He smirked.

She shrugged, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m not technically a Jedi, am I?” She snickered at him.

He ran his fingers through her hair. “I’ve never seen you with your hair down,” he said quietly. “I like it.”

She nestled her head under his chin, shifting her hand so it was on his chest. “Thanks.”

His fingers interlocked with hers. “You know, I’ve been wanting to do that since Peragus,” He said.

She laughed. “I had a feeling.”

He hugged her tightly, and kissed her on the top of her head. “You should get some rest- you’re gonna need it for the morning.”

“Will you come with me?” She asked quietly.

He squeezed her tighter. “You don’t even need to ask, Zan. I’ll be right by your side the whole time.”

She turned so that she was half on top of him, and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Atton. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Zanna.”

And then, the two fell deeply asleep, still wrapped in one another’s arms.

 


	4. The Academy

**CHAPTER 4: THE ACADEMY**

 

 

 _"She has been manipulating you..." Mical looked into her eyes. He, too, looked different- his blonde hair had become grey and his skin looked like Atton's. "Surely, you have felt it."_  
Zanna stood, unsure of what to do. "How can you be be certain?" She asked timidly.  
Mira walked up to her, eyes painfully yellow and cheeks sunken. "Come on, don't be dumb! You can't sit here and tell me she hasn't ever lied to you. Kill her, Zan! Zan….”

"ZAN!" Mira was above her, shaking her awake.

"Wh-What?" Zanna sat up, utterly confused. "What's going on?"

Mira sighed. "I've been advised to make sure you're up so you can go into the Sith place so you can finish your business and we can get the hell out of here." She smiled at the waking Jedi.

"Um... okay, thanks..." Zanna mumbled, putting her hand to her head.

Mira stood up and turned, heading out of her quarters. "So rise and shine, Jedi!"

Zanna looked around the room she was in. _Where's Atton?_ She was certain that she fell asleep with him by her side, but was unconvinced now.  Either way, she had again encountered a nightmare, twisting the reality of what she had faced in the tomb on Korriban. She stood up to stretch- she was going to need it. Whatever was awaiting her at the abandoned Sith academy, she needed to do anything to prepare physically and mentally for it. She headed over to her footlocker on the floor to search for some formal robes, just in case she found Master Vash within the academy. She quickly changed into the dark colored robes she had purchased from a salvager on Dantooine and then put her hair into her trusty braided style. And with that, she made her way towards the kitchen.

Much to Zanna's surprise, everyone on board the Ebon Hawk was congregated in the main hold, staring at her as she walked in. She looked at them. "Hey, guys... Uh, what's going on?"

Kreia stood. "I believe it to be wise if we were to collectively come up with a plan."

"Wait hold up- _why_ would we be in need of a plan?!" Zanna asked, worry in her voice. "We didn't have a plan for the tomb, or for Nar Shaddaa, or anywhere else we've been! So _why now_?"

"We now have both the people necessary as well as the proper skills as a team to execute a plan that is not running around wildly hoping for the best," Kreia snapped. "And trust me, Exile, you will want to think this through very carefully- I cannot guarantee that this trip will not cause any injuries upon you or anyone else.”

"Actually General," Bao-Dur added, scratching one of the horns on his head, “I’m inclined to agree.” He hesitated. “Especially if there are going to be injuries.”

Zanna exhaled. "Alright. Any ideas?”

The gang looked around at each other in silence.

Zanna stared at them. "Are you kidding me?"

“I might have something," Atton said, staring down at the floor, “it could work." He turned his attention towards the group. "But we would all have to work together-" He glared at Mical, then to Mira. "-whatever personal disputes are between us. All of us.”

Mical nodded. "Understood."

Mira snorted. "Like that's gonna happen..." She said under her breath.

"Whatever you ask of me, I shall do it." Visas affirmed. "I trust you, pilot."

Zanna turned back to Atton. "Let's hear it."

The scoundrel stood up, all eyes on him. "I say everyone that has a lightsaber- they go to the Academy. We should all be equipped with com links." He looked from Mira to Bao-Dur to T3. "You three should be here, contacting us via com link, and preparing the Hawk to get off this planet. If we need backup, we'll contact you.” He looked at Kreia. “We can also wear trackers if you think we’ll need them.”

“One problem-“ Bao-Dur said hesitantly. “We only have one tracker with us.”

“BWEEEE-DOOOOREEEEP-DEEEEEP-BOOOO-DWEEEEET!” T3-M4 whistled thoughtfully.

Zanna nodded. “That’s a great idea.”

“What did the droid say?” Visas inquired.

“Basically he said that we should decide who has the best chance at escaping the situation, and giving it to them.”

"That is a sound plan." Visas said, folding her arms.

Mira and Mical nodded in agreement; Kreia, however, cleared her throat. "If you are to enter that place, I am not to go with you."

Zanna scowled. "Of course you're not. I suppose I'm not going to know why either." She glowered at the old woman. "At least not until we come back, right? Maybe after someone dies, or is fatally wounded? Hm?”

Kreia looked angrily at her student. "Mock me all you wish, but the consequences of myself entering that place with you will be worse than you already think they will be."

"Fine." Zanna ground through clenched teeth. "You stay here and meditate some more."

"I shall be with you via the force bond."

"Sure you will," Zanna muttered.

Atton gave a thumbs up to everyone. "We all clear?"

Everyone nodded in affirmation. (Except for T3- he just whistled.)

"Awesome." He looked around at the crew. "I think we should head out soon."

"I agree with you." Mical said, standing up. "The sooner this mission is accomplished, the better, I think.”

"Well," Zanna concluded, "get ready then. If you'll excuse me, I need to eat something." 

Kreia walked up to her padawan. “Before you leave, I must confess to you- there is someone else on this planet besides the Jedi you seek.”

“Who is it?”

Kreia frowned. “An old student…”

Zanna groaned. “That could be anyone. Care to give some specifics?”

Kreia ignored her. “I just wanted to give you some perspective of the situation.”

“Well, that certainly helped!” Zanna cried sarcastically. “I’ll be on the lookout for literally any other Jedi that could possibly be walking this planet.”

“I grow weary of this!” Kreia snapped. “Your attitude is beginning to agitate me.”

Zanna snorted. “Yeah? Well you not being straight with me about nearly everything is agitating me!” She began to walk to the kitchen, then looked over her shoulder. “I’m going into that Academy blind. I swear, old woman, when I get back, you’d better start telling the truth.”

“FINE!” Kreia bellowed. “I shall inform you further.”

Zanna walked back, intrigued. “You’re going to tell me?”

“I will not tell you of the exact person, but I will give you all the critical information you need.”

Zanna stared at her mentor with amazement. “Thank you, Kreia.”

Kreia breathed heavily. “This student… is indeed strong. Strong in the Force as well as lightsaber combat.” Her head hung. “So strong, in fact, that he overthrew his Master with ease.”

“He what?!”

“He grew tired of being taught, so he decided to become his own Master, acquiring himself a following of students, all eager to learn of his strength, as well as to bask in his power.”

“Is he Sith?” Zanna asked quietly.

Kreia paused. “Such titles are too formal. But yes. In the way you’re thinking of, he is.”

Zanna gasped, mouth open. “Sith… Of course. Fine.”

Kreia turned away. “That is all I shall tell you.”

Zanna stood helplessly in the corridor of the ship. She had faced Sith before on Peragus, though they were just assassins. As easy as the assassins were to handle, a fully trained Sith Master was much more of a challenge.

She walked and stood in front of the fridge for a moment, collecting herself, focusing on her breathing to calm down. She opened the refrigerator and found a piece of fruit and sat down at the table.

"You know, usually bread and jam does the trick for unsettled nerves." Atton walked to the fridge, and poured some caf into a cup.

"Is that so?"

"Got me through all of the pazaak championships I was in." He smirked. "It's one of my many secrets to success."

She smiled. "Then thanks. I'm gonna need it."

He sat down next to her. "Hey, we got this."

She turned to look at him. "Where'd you go?" She asked abruptly.

"I didn't want to accelerate any... complications, if you will, with the others on this ship."

She cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "Well for starters, how would our good friend Kreia react?"

"Oh yeah..." Zanna mumbled. "That's true. If Kreia knew about anything what... happened... she'd definitely go on and on about my 'lack of focus' or whatever."

Atton nodded. “She’d probably dump us all on the next planet we fly to so that she can teach you in peace or something.” He sighed. “And Red would definitely get the wrong idea if she happened to catch us, you know, lying in the same bed.”

She nodded. “Good point.”

”Not to mention Blondie."

Zanna's face flushed. "Oh..." She took a bite of her bread. The two sat in silence for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak, hesitated, then closed her mouth again.

Atton had noticed. “What is it?”

“It’s just, well…” She took another bite of her breakfast and spoke, but the food in her mouth made her words undecipherable.

“What was that? All I got was ‘Hmmph mrph rrrph’.”

She nudged him. “Fine. I had the nightmare again.”

“What?!”  
     “It was a little bit different,” she added quickly. “But it was still about that last thing in the tomb.”

Atton shook his head. “I knew I should’ve stayed…”

“It didn’t have anything to do with you!” She said. “It just happened to come back and I thought I’d keep you updated.”

“Yeah, that’s an important thing that we sh-“

“General?”

The two looked at Bao-Dur, who had also entered the kitchen. “Yes?” She asked.

“I hate to intrude, but I wanted to make sure that the com link and tracking device will be working properly.”

“Oh, of course,” Zanna agreed, standing up. “Good idea, Bao-Dur.”

The pair then walked to the garage, where Visas and Mira also were. Visas was attaching the com link to the collar of her robe, evidently struggling.

Mira looked over at her. “Damn, for supposedly being the most competent race in the galaxy, you Jedi sure are lame.”

Visas looked at her. “Jedi do not usually have to rely on such bulky technology to be able to communicate with one another.”

“Good point.” Mira nodded. “Forget I said anything. Let me help you with that.”

“Thank you.”

Zanna looked around. “Where’s T3?”

“Should be back here any time now.” Bao-Dur was intently making repairs on the tracker. “He was getting something for the locater.”

“There,” Mira said, the com link now securely on Visas’ collar. “Good to go.”

Visas bowed. “Thank you.” She walked a few paces and stopped in front of Zanna. “I shall return to my chamber to meditate and prepare myself for the trip. Let me know when we’re leaving.”

“Will do.”

Bao-Dur looked around the garage. “Where’s Mical? He needs to be hooked up to a link too.”

Mira shrugged. “Probably giving himself a hearty pep talk somewhere.”

“Fair enough.” Bao-Dur agreed.

“So, any idea of who’s going to be equipped with the tracker?” Zanna asked.

Mira and Bao-Dur looked at each other.

“We’re…. Uh-” Mira started.

“-Not sure yet,” He finished up.

“Well, then.” Zanna sat down on a stool. “We’re making excellent progress.”

“Listen, Jedi,” Mira huffed, getting closer to her friend. “The reason we don’t know is because it’s your mission.”

“Of course, we have different ideas of who should be equipped with it,” Bao-Dur added. “But you should be the one to make the final decision, General.”

Zanna nodded slowly. “Fine.” She looked up hesitantly. “I’ll think about it.”

“BEOOOOP-DEEE-DEEEEP!” T3 rolled into the garage towards Bao-Dur.

“Well it’s about time,” the Zabrak mumbled. He leaned forward to retrieve whatever item the droid had come back with. “Thanks, T3.”

The droid whistled happily.

“Hey, could you go get Mical?” Mira asked him. “We need him in here to get him ready.”

“DEET-DOOO-DEEEEP!”

Mira turned around to look at Zanna. “Translation?”

She shrugged. “Basically, ‘Sure thing’.”

Mira sketched a quick salute. “Thanks, buddy.”

The three sat in silence as Bao-Dur fixed up the tracker. Zanna had absolutely no clue what he was doing, but she was confident he was succeeding at it. He had been crucial to the Republic’s victory during the Mandalorian Wars; he had created a weapon called the Mass Shadow Generator, and when General Hal gave the command, it activated, killing nearly everyone fighting on the planet Malachor V. The weapon destroyed the Mandalorians, finally defeating them.

Heavy footsteps emerged from the corridor. “Something you need of me?” Mical asked.

“So glad you finally showed up.” Mira sneered. “Come here so I can get you good to go.”

“Of course.” Mical walked over towards her, where she stood on her toes to be able to reach his neck. He was wearing one of the heavier sets of armor the gang had come across- it was a Verpine Zal alloy mesh of a blue color. Being a soldier in the past, however, such heavy armor was something he was used to.

As Mira was adjusting the com link, Mical looked at Zanna. “How are you feeling?” He asked her.

She nodded slowly. “I’m alright as of now.”

“You seem concerned, though.”

“Well, yeah, obviously. If Kreia suspects someone will get hurt, I’m convinced it’s going to happen.” She held back the fact that they would be facing a Master Sith, not wanting to worry anyone.

He tilted his head slightly. “You are doubting your abilities way too much, Zanna.”

She looked him in the eyes. “I just couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to any of you.”

“Good to go.” Mira interrupted. She patted him on the back, finally able to stand normally again. “I’m too short for this…” she mumbled, walking towards Bao-Dur. “Next time, you’re making the adjustments,” she proclaimed, pointing at the Zabrak.

“You could've just asked,” he mumbled, holding the tracker in his hands.

“Getting back to your concerns-“ Mical said, ignoring the conversation between the two technicians, “-I have no doubt that everything will be well.”

“How are you so sure?”

He smiled, walking and kneeling down to talk to her. “I can feel it through the Force.” He put a hand on her knee. “It will all be alright. I promise.”

She smiled weakly back at him. The Disciple was indeed strong with the Force, even though he had just barely started training alongside Atton under Zanna. “Thanks.”

He stood up. “Is there anything else I can assist you with before we head out?”

Zanna paused for a moment. “Actually, yes.” She stood up and turned toward the two huddled over the workbench. “Bao-Dur?”

He stood up and turned around. “Yes, General?”

“When you’re done with the tracker, equip it onto Mical.”

“Sure thing, General.”

Mical faced Zanna. “What?” He asked, quietly. “Why me?”

Zanna exhaled. “You’re incredibly strong with the Force Mical,” she told him, “And you’ve had enough training to the point where you’re probably the strongest, physically, on this ship. If anything goes wrong, you’ll be the one who would be able to make it back here unharmed.” She raised her voice. “Mira, Bao-Dur, if you notice the tracker signal exiting that Academy, you should get outside the ship just in case it’s just Mical. If he’s by himself, you’ll know we need backup.

Mira nodded, saluting. “Yes, Jedi Ma’am!”

Zanna laughed. “Stop it.”

She shrugged back. “I can’t help it.”

“So once that tracker’s secure, we should head out.” Zanna nodded to the group, and started to exit the garage. She stopped herself, and turned her head slightly. “Prepare yourselves,” she added quietly, knowing herself what was to come.

 

 

The exit ramp of the Ebon Hawk fell onto the sandy grounds of Korriban. The group of Jedi walked off the ramp and looked around.

“You know, I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to step foot into this damn valley again,” Atton groaned.

“Many of the great Sith Lords have been buried here,” Visas stated as the group began to progress forward. “The disruption of this planet has stirred the souls of those that are buried.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure about all that, but this place sure does creep me out.”

“Let us keep moving forward with the mission in mind.” Mical noted.

“Hey, blondie, we’re all moving, and we’re all focused,” Atton growled. “Just because Hal decided to put that tracker on you doesn’t make you-“

“Would you two girls stop acting like children and _shut the hell up_?!” Zanna yelled. She pressed on her com link. “Hey, guys. Everything working alright?” 

“Working perfectly, actually.” Bao-Dur’s voice came, gravelly through the com. “Tracker seems to be working fine. I have it attached to the map we have of the planet, so it looks like you should be coming up a slope or hill soon.”

Zanna looked ahead and squinted through the dusty wind. “I think I see something past all these pillars, yeah. Alright. We’ll keep you posted.”

She suddenly stopped and turned around violently. “You two-“ she pointed angrily at the two men. “-Need to _stop it_. I don’t care whatever beef is between you guys, but it needs to stop right now. You’re both acting like you’re little girls and the other stole your boyfriend away from you! Look, I don't want this to go badly.” She sighed. “There’s a good chance at least one of us will get injured, so I want to minimize it. I can’t do that if you both are bickering.”

Atton hung his head ever so slightly.

Mical looked at the sand, silent.

Visas scowled. “The dark energy surrounding this place is overwhelming. The Dark Side will feed on your contention and will use it against you!” She pursed her lips. “Do not be fools. Even setting foot in that Academy will increase those emotions. You need to control them, or we will surely fail. Do not doubt me.” Her voice grew silent. “I know it all too well.”

Atton looked over at Visas with a genuinely apologetic look. “I trust you. And I’m sorry.”

Visas turned her head away from him. “It is not I to whom you should be saying those words to.”

He sighed, and faced towards the Disciple. “Look, I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m nervous about this too, you know? But…” He struggled for words. “But I’m gonna work with you on this, alright?” He extended his hand.

Mical looked at his companion with a smile, and heartily shook his hand. “Then together we shall stand.”

Zanna looked back and forth from the two of them. “Are we all good now?”

“Ready to go.” Mical affirmed, while Atton gave her a thumbs up.

“Good,” Zanna huffed. “Maybe now that you’re done over arguing who’s prettiest we can get this over with.”

The gang ascended up the hill that Bao-Dur had told them about, and the mouth of a cave stood before them.

Zanna slowed down, staring into it. It was the shyrack caves, holding within them the secret tomb that she had travelled through just days ago. The memories of what had occurred there came flooding into her mind, and the agonizing pain came with it. Her breathing became rapid, the sights becoming clearer within her mind that she witnessed… Her vision began to recede, the memories filling her eyesight instead.

“Zan… Zan…” Atton saw her gazing into the darkness. He put both hands on her shoulders. “It’s in the past,” He whispered. “We need to focus on the now.”

She blinked, and the visions of the tomb melted away. She turned her head to see Atton. She slowly nodded, swallowing the pain. “I’m fine,” She whispered. “I’m fine.” She shrugged off his hands and hastily walked forward, shaking her head. _Focus, Hal… Focus._

“Hey, Jedi.” Mira’s voice came through on all the com links. 

“What’s up, Red?” Atton answered.

“The Sith Academy should be just ahead to the West.”

“Thanks, Red.”

Mical turned to Zanna. “Are you ready for this?” He asked.

“Well, we’re not there just yet,” She answered hastily. “But yes, I think so.”

The party rounded a corner, and ruins of a great building sat in their sights.

Zanna’s heart dropped. “Guess I spoke too soon.”

“Damn…” Atton muttered under his breath.

The Academy lay carved into the cliffs, embedded within the red rocks of Korriban, though it was obvious it had endured massive damage. Pieces of the stone sentinels that once stood guard over the stone arch had fallen around the entrance, while little actually remained on the walls to either side the massive door that served as the entrance.

As the group grew closer to the entrance, Atton made a face of disgust. “Ennnh…” He groaned. “What’s that stench?”

“Listen-“ Visas interrupted. “-the wind from the Academy tells of great power within….” She turned toward the group. “Recently awakened.”

“I can feel it as well.” Mical concurred.

“Yes,” Atton replied sarcastically. “A great and powerful _stench_.”

Visas turned to him, annoyed. “Perhaps you have not yet been acquainted with the true powers of the Force, pilot,” she sneered, “but Kreia was right in assuming we would run into trouble here. It is evident there is a greater power here than we had been expecting.”

“Yeah…” Zanna mumbled. “Well, let’s get to it, then.”

She pressed the entry button to the left of the door, and it flew open without any problems.

“That’s odd,” Atton noted. “A place that has suffered this much damage shouldn’t have door that works as well as it does.”

“It’s because we’re not going to be in there alone,” Zanna said. “Someone has recently opened it.”

She hesitated, then walked into the Sith Academy, the others following close behind. The five Jedi walked slowly into a spacious room, corpses lying haphazardly on the ground.

Visas stopped. “I can sense great agony and pain within this room.”

“I can feel it as well.” Mical walked towards one of the corpses- one of the few that wasn’t completely skeletal- and kneeled down beside it in examination. “This person has intense burns on their flesh,” he mumbled, then looked up at the group.

“So they were burned to death?” Atton asked, a twinge of disgust in his voice.

Mical shook his head. “I don’t think so. It looks more like shock burns to me.”

“The Sith have a preference to use the Force to shock those that wrong them or disobey them…” Visas said quietly. Zanna looked over sadly at her. Before finding them on Nar Shaddaa, Visas was enslaved to a Dark Lord, so she undoubtedly was speaking from experience. “My guess would be that this room served as some sort of torturing technique for the students here.” She paused. “Or perhaps to attempt to get them adapted to pain, and consequently fuel their rage and hatred.”

“Damn.” said Atton bluntly. “Sith don’t rely much on wisdom or understanding, huh?”

Visas shook her head. “Exactly the opposite,” she murmured.

“Let’s… Let’s get going,” Zanna said, trying to refocus the group’s attention.

They continued on through a narrow corridor, the echo of their footsteps being the only sound among them. The corridor opened into a large and spacious room, with several paths leading from it.

Atton looked around. “Well, what now? There’s gotta be at least five different ways to go.”

“I… I don’t know,” Zanna replied. She looked around her helplessly- the Academy was much larger and more complex than she was expecting. She pressed down onto her com link. “Bao-Dur? Mira?”

She waited for a response, but only the sound of static came back.

“Great.” Atton mumbled, while Zanna groaned in exasperation.

“Perhaps we head East,” Mical suggested, pointing down one corridor. “It looks like rooming down there.”

Atton blinked at him. “How do you even know that?”

“I spent much time researching different types of architecture within the differing sects of the Force.”

“Of course you did.” Atton shook his head, chuckling.

“Fine, let’s go then.” Zanna said decisively.

The gang continued down the path Mical had suggested, which ultimately led to another set of pathways.

“What now, wise guy?” Atton sneered.

“We’re splitting up.” Zanna answered. “Visas you’re with me. We’re going to the rooms just up ahead.” She turned to the two men. “You guys are going to look around down these two halls and see if you can find anything useful.”

“Will do.” Mical began to walk off, following orders.

Atton quickly walked up to Zanna.“But, Zan!” He pleaded quietly.

She gave him a death glare. “Atton, you will go with Mical to find anything useful,” she commanded. “ _Understood?_ ”

He threw his head back. “I really hate you sometimes, you know that?”

She smiled at him. “No you don’t.” 

“Fine.” He looked at her in the eyes, and with a smirk said, “But don’t be shocked if he comes back with a black eye.”

Visas glared daggers at him from beneath her red veil.

“I mean surprised. Not shocked.” He hesitated. “Sorry… Poor choice of words.”

Zanna laughed, elbowing him. “Go, please.”

“Fine, fine.” He walked towards Mical. “Be careful.”

“Only if you don’t be an ass,” she retaliated.

He turned around walking backwards. “No promises, Hal.”

Visas cleared her throat. “If you are quite finished-“ She started, getting Zanna’s attention, “-we should continue on.”

Zanna nodded in agreement, and the two continued down the corridor.

 

 

“There you are.” Mical was bent over a footlocker. “I need your help unlocking this.”

Atton leisurely walked over to Mical, laughing. “I’m surprised you tough-ass soldiers weren’t trained on ‘How to Pick a Level 1 Lock’.”

Mical looked sourly up at him. “Are you going to assist me or not?”

“Oh, I am.” Atton kneeled down, chuckling. “I just find it amusing, is all.” He looked intently at the footlocker. “Hey, these still have the students’ names on them,” he noted.

“To whom did this one belong to?”

“I can barely make it out, but I think it says ‘Lashowe’.” He answered. In no time at all, Atton had picked the locked and was rummaging in the footlocker.

“Find anything?”  
  “Not really- just a really old medpac. It’s probably not even useable anymore.”

“Let me examine it.”

Atton stood up and handed the dusty medpac over. “While you do that, I’m gonna see about the next bunker.”

The two made their way to the next bed, where another footlocker sat on the ground, nearly buried underneath the Korriban sand. Atton knelt down and attempted to remove some of it. Instead, however, he inadvertently dispelled the sand into the air. “ARRRRRGH!” He cried, rubbing his eyes, which now had some sand in them. “I hate sand.” He growled.

Mical stood above him, watching Atton blink through the pain. “As do I,” He agreed. “It’s course and rough and irritating… And it gets everywhere.”

Atton looked up at him in amazement. “I have _never_ wanted to punch you in the face more.” He returned his focus to the footlocker. “Shaardan…” He read. “Any of these names have meaning to you?” He asked.

Mical paused, thinking. “I don’t believe so.”

After successfully picking the lock, Atton groaned. “Pfassk!” He cried. “There’s not even anything in here!”

“Then let’s move onto the other hall.”

“Sounds good.” Atton stood up and dusted off his ribbed jacket, which was now covered in sand.

The pair continued on to the other hallway, Mical leading, as Atton’s vision was still impaired from the sand.

“A computer console!” Mical exclaimed.

“Let me handle this.”Atton said, stepping in front of the Disciple.

“Why?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you somehow become an expert at technology, Mr. _‘I can’t pick a simple lock’?”_

Mical backed away, pursing his lips. “Fine. I shall go on and see what else I can find.”

“Yeah, you do that.” Atton responded. “Now…” he said to himself. “Let’s see what we’ve got here.” He turned the console on, surprised it was still functioning. “Damn!” He said under his breath. _We need a passcode to get into this system…_ He continued to play around with the controls, attempting to bypass the security. _Damn thing…_ He thought to himself. _What was that?_ He stood bolt upright, sensing something behind him. Without a second thought, he reached and ignited his blue lightsaber and swung it around. “SHOW YOURSELF!” He yelled.

Suddenly, a Sith assassin appeared, striking Atton with a double-ended staff.

“AAAH!” He cried, retaliating by slicing the assassin’s stomach.

The masked Sith hissed in pain, and raised his weapon. 

Out of nowhere a lightsaber blade pierced through the Sith’s stomach, and then retracted. The body fell onto the ground, where Mical was standing behind him.

“Are you alright?” Mical asked.

Atton nodded, breathing heavily. “Yeah, I’m good. Thanks, by the way.”

“Of course.” Mical looked at the body on the ground. “I am confident that there is something on this console someone doesn’t want us to see.”

“Yeah, too bad I can’t get into the system.”

“Did you try, ‘New Recruit’?” Came a voice down the hall.

The men wheeled around to see Zanna and Visas, walking towards them.

“We found a datapad that gave the instr-“ Zanna stopped, noticing the Sith on the ground. “What the hell happened?” She cried.

“Oh, you know, just making friends.” Atton replied. “Didn’t seem to want to play nice, though.”

Mical looked at his companion in annoyance, then back to Zanna. “Atton was attacked by this masked assassin.”

“It seems you dealt with it rather well,” Visas noted.

“Anyways,” said Zanna, “Type in ‘New Recruit’. Should work just fine.”

Atton did as she said. “Alright, we’re in!”

A set of numbers flew onto the screen. “Uh Oh.” Atton grumbled. “Is anyone good with memorization? I think this we need to know this ID.”

Mical leaned forward. “I have a fairly good memory,” he said.

Atton stepped aside, arm out to the console. “It’s all yours then.”

The Disciple stared at the screen. “34017…” He said to himself. He kept reciting the long identification number quietly while the group waited patiently. Finally, he turned to Atton. “I’ve got it.”

“You sure?” He asked, hesitantly.

“Positive,” Mical assured him.

Atton returned to his position in front of the console, where a new command was shown on the screen. “‘Sith Academy Student Terminal’,” He read out loud. “‘Enter Student Identification’.”

The group looked over at Mical. He closed his eyes, remembering the code. “3401726…” He began, while Atton typed the numbers hastily. “B853S5O0X001.”

Atton exhaled. “Man, I really hope you’re right.”

Zanna looked nervously at the screen. 

With a breath of relief, Atton exclaimed, “It worked!” He clapped Mical on the shoulder. “Great work, blondie!”

Visas smiled at the Disciple. “That was impressive.” She said.

Mical bowed. “Thank you.”

Zanna turned her attention back on the screen. “Level one test…” She mused. “That’s got to be something.”

Atton clicked on the link to the test, looking around. “I hope you guys studied, because I sure as hell didn’t.”

“I have been trained in the knowledge of the Sith,” Visas reminded him. “I think we will succeed.”

“If you say so.” He looked at the screen and read: “‘Which of the following Sith Lords is not entombed upon Korriban?’”

As soon as she glanced at the choices, and without missing a beat, Visas answered, Freedon Nadd.”

Atton entered the response, then shook his head. “Damn, good thing we got you here. Why don’t you finish the test?”

Visas bowed. “I will do so.”

The group watched as Visas quickly typed in the answers to the remainder of the test with ease. After a minute or so, she turned away from the console. “We now have access to the training room, which should be located at the opposite side of this Academy.”

“Alright,” Zanna said. “Let’s go then.”

 

 

“This looks like the place… Which, is to say, it looks like a nightmare.” Atton looked around him in the training room, which had large cages on the perimeter of the walls holding shaking tuk’ata.

“Those poor creatures…” Visas said quietly. “They have been enslaved here since before this place’s destruction.”

“Well, after we complete our mission, we can free them if you want.” Zanna looked over at one of the beasts. “Although, they look like they could drop at any second.”

Atton walked to the console, hunched over while entering commands. Sounds emerged from the console, and he looked back at the group looking flushed. “Uh oh.”

“Atton?” Zanna asked nervously. “What did you do?”  
  “Well, I mean I didn’t do anything!” He answered quickly, igniting his lightsaber. “Although there was a glitch, so instead of the level two test-“ The doors of the cages flew open. “-it’s level sixteen.”

The tuk’ata growled at the group, who all ignited their lightsabers. The beasts charged at them. “You know, these things- are- surprisingly strong!” Atton yelled in between strikes, dueling with one of the tuk’ata. “For looking- like they’re made- of skin and bones!”

“Shut up and focus!” Zanna screamed at him, jumping backwards from an attack.

“OW!” Visas yelled.

“VISAS!” Mical yelled back, striking down one of the beasts. “Are you alright?!”

Visas looked down at her arm, which has a small chunk of flesh out of it. “I’ll be fine,” She growled. She used the Force to choke the tuk’ata that bit her arm, and it crumpled onto the ground. “And to think I pitied these things.” She mumbled.

After two more tuk’ata, the group had killed all of the beasts. They stood, out of breath.

“My god!” Atton cried out in anger. “These damn Sith were out of their minds!”

Zanna nodded in agreement. “Let’s just see if we passed.”

Mical was taking care of Visas, whose arm was profusely bleeding, using the Force to help heal the wound.

Atton logged back onto the console. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” He cried out in anguish.

“What is it now?”

“We failed- I guess we took too long.” He sighed. “It says we should go to the detention center, though, so maybe we’ll find something there.”

Zanna groaned, and kicked one of the fallen tuk’ata in anger. “This just keeps getting better and better.”

“Zan, come on,” Atton said, walking towards her. “Let’s go. It’s right across the hall.”

She hung her head. “Fine. Just give me a second.” She closed her eyes and did some deep breathing. She then looked over at Visas, who was sitting in the corner near one of the cages, Mical kneeling beside her. “Are you okay?” He asked, face full of concern

Visas nodded. “Fine… Just need a moment to sit.” She smiled. “Thank you.”

“I shall stay with her, if you’d like.” Mical suggested to the other two.

“Okay, that’ll work. We’ll be right back.” Zanna told them.

The pair walked out of the training room, where the door to the detention block was now open.

“I swear on the Force, if we have to do some crazy ass test again…” She mumbled.

Atton shook his head. “Not this time.”

She looked up at him. “Why’s that?”

He shivered. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

Zanna stopped him just before they entered the room. “Hold up, flyboy. What do you mean?”

“I just…” He seemed at a loss for words, shaking his head.

She reached up and put her hand on the side of his face. “Atton, talk to me.”

“I just know something is gonna happen.” He looked at her, sadness in his eyes. “All of a sudden I just feel so uneasy. And it ain’t sitting right with me.”

She embraced him, Kreia’s words flowing into her mind: _‘This student… is indeed strong. Strong in the Force as well as lightsaber combat. So strong, in fact, that he overthrew his Master with ease.’_ _The two stood in the corridor in each other’s arms. Atton looked down at her. “You know it too, don’t you?”_

She returned his gaze, mouth slightly open in surprise. “Am I that obvious?” she asked in a whisper

“Maybe not to everyone else. But I know you.” he responded quietly. He held her tighter. “What’s going on?”

 _Should I tell him?_ She debated within her mind. _I don’t want him to do anything irrational if he found out… Which, he definitely would.._ She broke the embrace and shook her head. “Let’s get moving.”

“Zan, what’s wrong?” He pleaded.

She ignored him. _Maybe I’m being selfish, but it’s for your own good…_ She thought. She walked into the detention block, determined to find some answers. Her attention was immediately drawn to another cage, this time with a corpse inside it, a pool of blood surrounding it.

“Son of a-“

“Hal, what did you-“ Atton stopped dead in his tracks. “Oh.”

Zanna kneeled down to examine the body. Black hair with grey streaks was covering the face, but she had a feeling of who it was. She carefully moved the hair out of the way, revealing the face of a woman, perhaps fifteen or twenty years older than Zanna. Her face twisted with rage. “Vash…” She affirmed through clenched teeth.

“So _this_ is who we came here to find?!” Atton cried in disbelief. “Looks like this has been a big, dangerous waste of time.”

Zanna sat on the ground, shaking her head. “I might have killed her myself, honestly.” She examined the body more closely. “Wait a minute…” She whispered, noticing something sticking out of the Jedi Master’s pocket. “There’s something else here.” She reached out and retrieved a datapad.

“What is it?” Atton asked.

“It’s her journal,” Zanna responded, standing up.

“What does it say?”

The two stood side by side to read the entry.

“ _‘I found the Sith that I came to Korriban looking for,’_ ” Atton read aloud. “ _‘I am no fool, but I fell neatly into their trap. Their leader, Darth Sion, is a perversion of the dark side such as I have not seen before’_.”

 _Sion…_ Zanna realized in horror. _That’s who is here. That’s Kreia’s old student!_ She had encountered Sion briefly along with Kreia and Atton on Peragus, but Kreia had given them time to escape while she fought him, ultimately losing her hand in battle against him. “Oh my god…” She breathed.

“Everything okay?” Atton asked, concerned.

Zanna shook her head. “We need to get out of here _NOW_. Go get the others!” She cried.

He stared at her, confused. “What’s go-“

“NOW!” She screamed.

He wasn’t about to ask again, so he ran back into the training room.

Zanna frantically reached for her com link. “Mira?! Bao-Dur?! Anybody?” She asked in a panic. Once again, there was only static coming back from the Ebon Hawk’s end. “Dammit!” In a last, desperate attempt for some help, she closed her eyes. _‘Kreia? Kreia are you there?’_

 _‘What is it, Exile?_ ’ Came Kreia’s croaky response.

 _‘It’s Sion, isn’t it?’_ She asked. _‘Your old student.’_  
‘You are very wise, indeed.’  
‘That doesn't matter right now. Is he in this Academy?!’ She asked.

 _‘I told you to prepare yourself,’_ was all she replied.

 _‘Kreia, what do I do?!’_ She pleaded.

Silence.

_‘KREIA?!’_

Atton came back with Mical and Visas. “Alright, we’re all here, let’s go.”

Zanna shook her head. “I’m so sorry.”

Mical looked at her in confusion. “What for?”

Zanna began to march back towards the exit, worrying about what was waiting for them. Up ahead she could make out three figures standing in the middle of the Academy. Her heart dropped. “You’re about to find out.”

 


	5. Marked

**CHAPTER 5: MARKED**

 

 

Zanna held her breath as she came closer to approaching Darth Sion, who had two assassins on either side of him. The group behind her remained silent in anticipation, the air filled with tension. Sion stood in the center of the spacious room, a scowl on his face, if it could even be called a face. His skin was grey in color, and was so severely cracked he didn’t look human any more.  The right side of his face looked like the skin had been torn off and the muscle was peeking out. His right eye had no pupil or iris, instead, a filmy, milky white orb stared endlessly outward.

She swiftly turned around before getting too close to the Sith. “I want you all to stay here,” she pleaded quietly. “At least for now.” She turned back around, ignoring the looks of disapproval on their faces, and walked as confidently as she could.

Sion strode towards her. “Did you come here for answers?” His low and gravelly voice asked. “There are none.”

“Just one.” Zanna looked up at the repulsive figure, doing her best to look unafraid. “How did you find me here?”

“Little Jedi,” he laughed. “You are too predictable. I have studied you, immersed myself in you. I know the path you walked in, exile.”

Zanna pursed her lips. “So?”

“I also know your teacher,” he added, a horrific grimace appearing on his face. “And I know of Malachor.”

“How did-?”

“You know what it means to be broken.” Sion began to circle slowly around the young woman, who stood still, listening to him speak. “The one who travels with you will destroy you, as she did me.” He stopped inches away from her face, causing Atton to take a step forward from where he stood. Mical stopped him from advancing further. Sion continued. “I can end it before it begins.” 

“What do you want with her?” Zanna breathed.

He came even closer to her. “I want her to die. I want to see all that she has built cast down. All that she holds dear, in shards at her feet.”

“But _why_?” Zanna asked.

The Sith Lord chuckled, placing his hand underneath Zanna’s face. Atton, meanwhile, grabbed his lightsaber from its hilt.

“You know,” Sion said quietly, “these insignificant souls you have brought with you here will not survive.” Without even glancing up, Sion used the Force to pick Atton up off the ground. 

“Take your best shot, you schutta!” He cried, clasping his neck.

Zanna looked over at him, dangling in the air. She turned back to Sion, breathing fast. “Put him down.”

“Feelings are weakness,” he hissed. With a flick of his wrist, he sent Atton flying into one of the walls, screaming as he flew across the room. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Visas and Mical both ignited their weapons. “You are going to regret doing that,”  Visas hissed.

Sion stepped away from Zanna, focusing on Visas. “You are weak.” He paused, intently looking at her. “Your planet is gone, Miraluka. They are all dead.” He ignited his own red lightsaber.

 _He’s reading her mind…_ Zanna realized. Immediately she remembered back to Atton’s instructions. _Flip the green card, it’s a seven, making the totals seven-zero…_ She continued to play pazaak in her mind, while also frantically trying to think of how to escape. She glanced over at the two assassins. _Sion is busy with them;  I have a clear shot._  Mustering her strength, she leapt with the aid of the Force, igniting both her lightsabers in mid-air, and slicing one of the Sith down as she landed. She raised her right blade to strike the remaining assassin, but found she couldn’t move herself from the neck down. “What-?” She breathed.

“AAAAARRGH!” Visas screamed from the opposite end of the room. Zanna turned her head to see her kneeling on all fours in a state of horror. “MAKE IT STOP!” She screamed. Mical, meanwhile, was immovable in a stasis field, in the position to strike.

Sion wheeled around to face Zanna once again. “You are more inadequate than I thought.” He drew closer to her. “You are a wretched thing, a thing of weakness and fear.”

Zanna clenched her teeth. “You know from experience, huh?”

Sion stretched out his hand, choking her through the Force.

“S-Sion!” She croaked, gasping for air.

“It will be such an easy thing, to crush you,” he said, emotionless. “You and your companions!”

“Y-You are a…” She choked. “A coward!”

Sion slightly released his grip oh her. “You are wrong, little Jedi.”

Zanna smiled while she caught her breath. “Yes you are. You’re hiding behind all these Force tricks. If you really are as strong as you proclaim to be, let’s have at it- one on one, lightsabers only.”

She held her breath, waiting for his response. He stared her down, hand shaking. “Fine.” He released his grip on all the Force techniques he had used on the gang. He turned around to Visas and Mical. “Get out of here.”

Mical helped Visas up, then quickly ran over to Atton, who was still on the ground. He slung him over his shoulder, then gave a nod to Zanna. She nodded back. The trio ran towards the exit, and then out of sight.

Sion returned his gaze back to Zanna. “You are going to die here, exile.” He ignited his red blade.

“We’ll see about that.” She ignited her twin silver blades. _The plus two card is in play, the totals are now eighteen- nineteen._

“Oh, this is rich.” Sion laughed. “ _Pazaak_? The ‘Last of the Jedi’ is trying to shield her thoughts with _pazaak_.”

Zanna panicked. “Well, it’s working, is it not?”

“RAAAAAH!” Sion leapt forward in attack. She was prepared, though, and neatly parried his strike.

“What… Do you want… With Kreia?!” She cried, in between a flurry of attacks.

Sion did a backflip to get some distance away from her. “The time will come.”

Zanna huffed. “Damn, are all you Sith this cryptic?”

“You’ve got quite the mouth on you.” Sion said, annoyed.

She shrugged. “Gets me out of trouble.”

He chuckled. “Won’t get you out of here.” He stretched forth his hand, immobilizing her once again from the neck down.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Zanna cried in disbelief. “We had a deal, you pfassking piece of Sith shit!”

He walked slowly towards her. “If you believed I would not use my strength against you to obliterate you, you are more foolish than I thought you were.”

She struggled, panting as he got closer. “Touch me, and I swear on the Force I _will_ kill you.”

“Kill _me_?” He laughed. “Look at me, weakling. I cannot be killed.” He strode even closer to her. “Once I am finished with you, there will be no stopping the darkness that is to come.” He raised his blade.

Zanna closed her eyes in fear. She could hear the humming of his lightsaber, but could not feel anything. She opened one eye, and saw Sion, infuriated, in front of her.

“RAAAAAAAAH!” Sion reached his hand out to the assassin, who had been standing nearby. He picked up the unsuspecting Sith and crushed him with the Force, hurling the body across the room.

“What the hell-?” Zanna breathed.

Sion turned back to her, fire in his eye. “Not today-“ He said through clenched teeth. He began circling around her. “-Not now. The time will present itself, and I will utterly destroy you, Jedi.”

Zanna stood speechless, not even breathing. _He’s letting me go? What the hells?_

He stopped directly behind her. “But,” he added cooly, “you will be a target for all Sith from here on out.”

“What do you-AAAAAAAAAAH!” Zanna screamed out in pain.

Sion had made a diagonal cut across her back with his blade, cutting her skin. “And every target needs to be marked,” He hissed. He made another diagonal cut, making an “X” on Zanna’s back side. 

She screamed in agony, the sound ringing throughout the entirety of the Academy. “STOP!” Tears of pain welled up in her eyes. “ENOUGH!”

“We will meet again, exile.” He finally released his stasis field on her, and she fell onto her face, crumpling to the ground. “Then we will see who is stronger.” He kicked her as she lied on the floor, blood dripping down, smoke rising from her back, the fresh wounds searing with pain.

Trying her best not to show her tears, she stood up, trying desperately to find a way to stand so her back didn’t burn. She stared at him in anguish, then bolted to the exit.

 _‘Kreia? Kreia, dammit are you there?!’_  Zanna called out, desperate for anyone to answer. Unfortunately, Kreia did not respond.

She made it outside of the Academy doors and around the bend of rock. “Oh my god…” She breathed, clenching her teeth from pain. She sunk down onto the sand, laying down on her chest to avoid further pain. She brought a hand to feel the wound, instantly cringing when it made contact with the raw flesh. She brought her hand up to her face- it was a deep red color, soaked with blood. “Dear god.” She began to cry profusely, completely alone and bleeding out.

She desperately reached for her com link. “Bao-Dur?” She breathed. “Bao-Dur, if you can hear me-”

“GENERAL!” Bao-Dur’s voice was urgent. “General, are you alright?”

“Oh thank the Force…” She whispered into the com link. “Listen,” she sniffed through her tears. “I’m right outside the Academy. I need help. I don’t think I can make it back on my- OWWWW!” She body jolted in the sand, her back had began to burn.

“General, just stay calm. Help is on the way.”

She curled up into a ball on the sand, sobbing. She yelled out in agony, the cry ringing out. Her eyes welled up with tears, making her vision blurry.  From what she could see, more blood pooled around her, trailing off towards her face. She began to cry audibly, weeping as the blood reached her forehead.

An eternity seemed to pass as a loud ringing sound filled her ears and her vision became spotted. All of a sudden, she was lifted off of the ground, her cuts seeming to tear as she was lifted up, burning as they were touched.

“AAAHH!” She screamed in agony, and tried to make out who had come to her rescue.

“It is alright, Zanna. Stay with me.” Mical’s soft voice rang in her ears, her vision going dark. “Just stay with me…”

 

 

“What happened? Is she okay?!” Zanna could barely make out Mira’s voice over the sound of the ramp to the Ebon Hawk closing.

“I’m not quite sure, I did not really get a good look at her when I found her, but she is losing more blood than one would expect from a lightsaber wound…” Mical was nearly running onto the ship, finally entering into the medical bay. He laid her gently down on one of the beds in the room on her stomach, the other occupied by Atton.

Zanna blinked her eyes open. “M…Mical?”

“Oh thank the Force. Can you hear me?”

“Yes,” she replied weakly.

“What happened? What do I need to do?” He asked her in a rushed voice.

Beginning to feel the pain again, she cried out in agony, her body spasming violently.

“Let me examine the wounds.” Mical said in a calm voice. “I’m going to disrobe you so I can have a better look.”

Mira came stomping into the med bay with Bao-Dur. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“We don’t have much of a choice right now, do we?!” He snapped, surprising the two.

“Damn, I’m sorry!” Mira cried out in defense.

Mical focused on the robes Zanna was dressed in. “They’re almost completely ripped apart already…” He grabbed a piece near her hips and ripped it off her body, exposing her back.

“Holy shit…” Mira whispered.

“I’m getting Visas.” Bao-Dur proclaimed, running out of the med bay.

Zanna lay shaking on the bed. “H-How b-b-bad is it?” She managed to ask.

“Shh.” Mical placed a hand on the back of her head, gently stroking her hair to calm her down. “Just relax. Let me take care of it.”

She craned her head up to catch a glimpse of the damage. Luckily there was a mirror in the right corner of the room on the ceiling, giving her a chance to spot herself. “Oh my god!” She cried. Sion’s lightsaber had cut deep into her flesh, with jagged lines criss-crossing in the middle of her back. The lines were about an inch thick, and the entirety of her body was red with blood. She dropped her head back down, wailing in despair.

“Ennnh…” Atton was stirring, finally waking up from unconsciousness.

Mical glanced over at him quickly. “This is not going to go over well.”

Atton slowly opened his eyes as Mical was frantically dabbing Zanna’s flesh with a wet cloth to clear away some of the blood. He looked up at Mira. “Red… What happened?”

“Uh…” Mira was lost for words. Her eyes briefly looked over at the bed next to his, and he noticed.

“ZAN!” He yelled, sitting up instantly. “Oh my god, what happened?!”

Zanna moved her eyes up to him. “Atton…”

“Get him out of here!” Mical ordered. “She doesn’t need any further stimulation right now!”  
“No way in hell!” Atton growled, standing up on his feet. When he did so, he tottered a bit.

“Don’t be a dumbass!” Mira hissed. “Come on, you need to sit down!”

“No!” Atton protested, trying to steady himself. “I’ll be fine!”

Zanna shakily reached out her hand, to which he immediately grabbed. “I’m here. I’m here, Zan. It’ll be okay.”

“E-Exactly,” she whispered. “P-please just g-go sit down.”

Atton’s face fell. “What?”

She looked at him, desperation in her eyes. “I do-don’t want you to s-see me like this. P-please.”

He looked over at Mical.

“I swear on my life I will take care of her,” Mical said softly.

Atton dropped his hand. “Okay. I’ll go.”

Mira came by to help him walk. “Come on, tough guy.”

Zanna smiled weakly at him as he walked away through her teary vision, never breaking his gaze until he was out of sight.

“Now,” Mical exhaled, “I’m going to administer some anesthetics. It should-”

Suddenly Visas walked into the room, along with Bao-Dur. “I shall help with the use the Force to put her at ease.” She proclaimed. “Combined with your anesthetic, it will hasten the healing process.”

Mical nodded. “Sure.”

Visas hovered over Zanna. “You will be unconscious for a while, Exile. But when you awake, I assure you that everything will be at peace.”

Zanna nodded. “Okay.”

“Alright, then. Here we go…”

 

 

Zanna awoke once again in the med bay, lying on her back. She felt inexplicably energized, and sat right up. She looked down- everything from her neck down to her waist was wrapped in some sort of gauze, and her skin had been cleaned. She slumped down on the bed once more. “Thank the Force.” Some hair got in her face, which also had been cleaned and brushed. _Did someone give me a bath?_ It was then she realized she also was only wearing underwear.

She stood up from the bed and instantly arched her back from the pain. It still hurt, but noticeably less than what she remembered. _How long have I been out for?_ She walked towards the door of the med bay and opened them. The Ebon Hawk was remarkably quiet. That being said, she knew exactly where at least one of the crew would be. She entered the cockpit of the Ebon Hawk quietly. Looking out of the window in front her, she noticed that it was night time. _That’s why no one’s making any noise…_ She walked forward and peeked from behind the pilot’s chair, where Atton was sound asleep. She smiled at him, then squatted down (avoiding moving her back,) and gently kissed him on his forehead. “Thank you.” Her voice was barely audible.

Atton twitched, immediately waking up.

“Oh, Force!” Zanna jumped, surprised. “I am so sorry.”

“Zan!” He jumped up threw his arms around her. “Oh my god, Zan! Thank the Force you’re alright.”

She laughed, nestling her head underneath his. “I’m fine. A little sore, but fine.”

“I was so worried about you,” he breathed. “And you have no idea how hard it was to take orders from blondie, Hal. It killed me on the inside.”

“Of course it did.” She looked up at his face. “Damn, when was the last time you shaved?” He had some fairly thick facial hair, which usually was just stubble.

“I’ve been too worried to shave, Zan. Shaving is for the weak.”

“It wasn’t like that when we went into that Academy, though.” She frowned, thinking. “How long was I out for this time?”

“Around four days.” Atton shook his head. “It’s been a nightmare here without you. I’ve had to deal with everyone on board without you here.”

“Four days?!” She cried. “What the hells?”

He rubbed her arms in the embrace. “Yeah, Visas put you under some super strong Force power, but apparently it means you’ve been healing at twice the rate it would without it.” He looked down her. “So it should just be starting to heal, if my calculations are correct.”

She laughed. “Your calculations? Since when are you a medic?”

“Hey!” He said defensively.

Her laughter faded until they stood in silence, still in each other’s arms. “How’s your head?” She finally whispered.

He shrugged. “I’ve suffered worse.” He saw her disapproving look. “I’m serious, Zan. Honest. I’m totally fine.”

“Okay, good.” She suddenly retreated from the embrace. “Well, I’m going to let you get back to sleep.” She turned to walk away to her quarters, but he grabbed her hand before she was able to.

“I’d rather be with you. Sleep is overrated.” He grinned at her.

She smiled, laughing. She tugged on his hand, indicating he follow her. The two walked hand-in-hand to her quarters, where the doors closed behind them.

She stretched her torso to get up closer to his face. “Ow!” She immediately put a gentle hand on her backside. “Didn’t think that one through…”

He looked at her sadly. “How bad is it?”

“Now? No idea.” 

He took her hands in his and kissed her forehead. “We can check it, if you want to.”

She nodded. “That’s probably a good idea.” She took a deep breath and lifted her arms up. “Can you help me?” She whispered.

“Of course.” He took the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head, revealing the gauze underneath.

“Wait a sec,” Zanna said.

“What is it?”  
“Do you know how to redo this is it starts bleeding?” She asked him.

He cocked his head. “You don’t give me enough credit, Hal.”

She smiled. “Fine. Full speed ahead, then.” She turned around so her back faced him, arms still up.

Atton untied the knot securing the gauze near her hip and slowly unwrapped it, more and more of her back becoming exposed. “Damn…” He whispered.

“What?!”

He shook his head. “I just can’t believe that son of a bitch did this to you.” He stopped unwrapping and looked at her sadly. “I could’ve helped you.”

She turned back to face him, shaking her head and cupping the side of his face with her hand. “Atton, you tried to protect me at the very beginning, and look what happened. He tortured Visas and completely immobilized Mical, as well as myself.” She rubbed the side of his face with her thumb. “It would’ve been a lot worse for you and the others if I didn’t convince him to let you all leave.”

“But look at what he did to you!” Atton’s voice held a tune of anger to it.

“Atton. Look at me.” She held his gaze. “There’s nothing you could have done. This was my decision. And honestly, it’s a miracle he even let me go before he killed me.”

Atton breathed heavily. “No matter what you say, I’m still gonna feel responsible.”

“You’re so _stubborn_.” She cleared her throat and lifted her arms up again, spinning around. “Now, can you please finish this?”

He nodded. “Sure.” He continued unwrapping the gauze, until it had all been pulled away, her back completely free of the stuff. He froze seeing she stood in just a bra.

“How bad is it?” She asked him, lowering her arms.

“I’m just… Uh…” He hesitated. “I’m just gonna turn around now.”

She paused in confusion. “Why’s that?”

“You’re a little…” He paused, lost for words. “ _Exposed_ , shall I say.”

She let out a gawky laugh. “Atton Rand,” she sniggered,  “Have you never seen a woman before?”

He laughed. “Hal, look at me.” He gestured towards himself. “Of course I have.”

“You afraid, Rand?” Her eyes twinkled.

“It’s not like I’m naked or anything!” She noted with a smirk

“Well, then, who am I to tell you what to do?” He grinned. She turned to face him, her face anxious. Atton looked at her chest, scratching his head. “You know, I was expecting them to be bigger.”

“Excuse me?” She laughed.

“The wounds.” He looked at her in the eyes. “What did you think I meant?”

She shook her head. “Just… Never mind.”

He laughed. “Just kidding. But seriously, it’s not as bad as I thought.”

She felt the mark on her back with her hand. “Oh yeah, you’re right.” The wounds had scabbed, and there was no more traces of blood. She slowly traced he “X” mark on her flesh, her face dropping.

He smiled. “At least he didn’t catch your front; wouldn’t want anything distracting from th-.”

She started to cry, covering her face with her hands.

“Oh, god, was that inappropriate?!” Atton asked quickly. “Because I was just joking-”

She shook her head. “No it’s not what you said- you being your goofy self is good.” She rubbed her nose. She squatted down to pick up the shirt that had been tossed aside. “It’s just that this is gonna be forever.”

“What do you mean?”

She threw the shirt back over her head, ignoring the brief pain from stretching her torso. “This mark. I’m marked now forever.” She walked over to her bed and sat down. “He did this because I’m his target, you know.” She sniffed. “He used my body as a bullseye.”

“Crazy son of a bitch.” Atton clenched his fists. “I’m going to kill that bastard myself.”

“Could you?” She asked jokingly.

He sat down next to her and held her hand. “I’ll kill whoever you want me to.” He bent close. “Especially if it’s anyone on this ship, particularly Kreia.”

She laughed and brought her hand to his face, then leaned in and kissed him. He grabbed her waist carefully and pulled her closer, then the two slowly lied down together, as the rest of the crew was fast asleep.

 

 

_“You will be a target for all Sith from here on out, and every target needs to be marked…”_

Zanna opened her eyes, gasping for air as she woke up from reliving her encounter with Sion. She arched her back sitting up, then immediately regretted it as the scabbing wounds seared with pain. “Sith’s blood!” She cursed to herself quietly. Sion’s voice echoed in her mind, the moment of him slicing her body replaying over and over…

“Zan?”

“Force!” She nearly jumped as she sat in the bed, looking over at Atton, who was lying right beside her.

“You okay?” He asked slowly.

She put a hand onto her head. “I completely forgot you were there.”

“Yeah, you forgot the last two times you woke up too.”

“What?”

Atton adjusted himself so he sat up, sighing. “Well, I told you this about a half hour and then again fifteen minutes ago, but you were just shaking… Really bad. Then, both times you woke up like you couldn’t breathe from a nightmare.”

Zanna sat, puzzled. “Wait, when did I first fall asleep?”

He shrugged. “Around an hour ago. Maybe a little less.”

She groaned, standing up, and began pacing around her room. “I just can’t stop feeling it.” She folded her arms, shaking. “I close my eyes, and it’s happening again.”

“That’s why I stayed,” Atton said quietly. “I was afraid the same thing would happen like when you came back from that cave.” He gazed at her sadly. “Guess I was right.”

She took some deep breaths, trying not to once again let tears flow.  “UGH!” She kicked the nearby footlocker in angst.

“Hey, the footlocker never did anything to you, did it?” Atton asked jokingly.

“I’m just so sick of being… Being so _weak_.” There was anger in Zanna’s voice.

“Hal,” Atton laughed, standing up. “You’ve gone through hell and back the last two weeks. You’ve been through more shit than anyone else.” He came up to her and held her hands. “But the thing about you is, you’re so strong that you’ve made it through it all.” He lifted her head up with one of his hands, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “I don’t know many gals five foot four who could do that.”

“My size has nothing to do with it.” She replied. “I’m supposed to be _better_ than this, regardless of how I size up compared to you.”

“But _why_? Why do think so little of yourself?” He gaped at her in amazement. “Unintentional pun aside, Zan, you’re more capable of anything than anyone I’ve ever met.” He paused, seeing as she looked unconvinced. “And that’s coming from a guy who served under the Sith in both the Mandalorian and Jedi Civil Wars, who also planet hopped like no one else, meeting hundreds of soldiers, spies, pilots, bounty hunters, and Jedi.”

She stood in silence, ceasing to make eye contact with him. “How long is this going to last?” She asked quietly.

“‘This’ is what, exactly?”

She shook her head. “All of it. Being chased around. Hunted. Attacked.” She looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears. “How much longer is it going to happen? I’m not going to keep watching you guys risk your lives for nothing.”

“Zan, we’ve been over-“

“When does it end?” She whispered.

He brought her close to him, his head on top of hers, and wrapped his arms around her gently. “I don’t know, Z.”

“I don’t know how much more I can take, honestly.” She buried her head into her chest as he stroked her hair softly.

“You’ve been through a lot, it’s true.” He kissed the top of her head. “Although I’ve got to admit, Kreia was right about one thing.”

Zanna looked up at him, pure confusion on her face. “On what? You never think she’s right.”

“Going through that tomb definitely made you stronger.” He smiled at her. “I think if you had to go through that Academy first, things would have been a whole lot worse.”

“Maybe…” She wasn’t too convinced. “Even if that’s true, I most certainly got my ass kicked.”

“No you didn’t.” He grinned at her. “If anyone got their ass kicked, it was for sure me.” He added, laughing, “Hell, I didn’t even make it to the actual _fight_.”

“That’s only because you were the first one to try to protect me.” She stood on her toes, smiling up at him, still in his embrace. “Which I never got to thank you for.”

“I think I have an idea on how you can thank me.” He smirked. She smiled, beginning to bring her lips to his. Right before their lips met, he mumbled, “I was actually thinking more along the lines of some juma juice.”

She settled back down on her heels. “Are you kidding me?” She laughed.

“What?!” He cried defensively. “A guy’s got to stay hydrated.” He locked his fingers with hers.

She elbowed him. “Fine.” She smiled at him. “I’ll get us both some. I’m parched too, actually.” She turned around, but he was still holding her hand. She looked at him. “What is it, now?”

He smiled at her, and brought her back to him, pulling her into a kiss. “Thank you, Zan.”

She just smiled back at him, then opened the doors of her quarters, heading off to the kitchen.

The Ebon Hawk was still quiet as she went through the main hold and into the kitchen, the only sound coming from a tune she was humming softly. She entered the kitchen and went straight to the refrigerator for the juma juice. _He’s such an ass._ She chuckled to herself. She poured two glasses for Atton and her, then closed the fridge door with her hip, glasses in hand. Zanna walked back to her quarters, a smile on her face. She continued through the Ebon Hawk, then stopped in front of her room.

“What the-?” She stared at the door in confusion. It was now closed, despite her having opened it when she left. “Atton?” She called out. “Is there a reason why the door is shut?” She used her hip again to press the button to open the door, worry spreading throughout her body. “Hey, is everything-” She dropped both of the glasses, causing them to shatter over the floor. “Atton!” She yelled. He was frozen in a standing position, his face looking as if he was saying something, although twisted with rage. His hand was on his lightsaber hilt, but he wasn’t moving. “ATTON!” She ran up to him, bringing her hands up to the sides of his face. “Oh my god, what happened to you?” She stared desperately at his face, then noticed a small dart on the side of his neck. 

Zanna felt a blaster rifle touch the back of her head, a female voice suddenly speaking. “Don’t even think about _breathing_ , Exile.”

Her face twisted in anger, eyes frantically moving around the room. “Who are you?” She asked in fury.

“Aw,” another woman’s voice filled the air, along with footsteps. “We don’t like targets who can’t follow orders.”  The footsteps stopped. “Turn her around.”

Zanna felt the blaster push on her back. “Hey! Ow!” She was swiftly kicked in the back of her knees, forcing her to kneel to the ground. Cuffs were abruptly placed on her wrists. She looked up, where a woman in a full-bodied armored suit was standing before her, holding a blaster pistol in her left hand, the other on her hip. A silver mask hid her face, but brown and curly hair spilled out from behind it.

The woman looked down at the Jedi. “I’m so very glad we’re cooperating now.”

Zanna growled. “Go to hell.”

“It’s overrated.” She replied instantly. “But I guarantee you that I will make you wish you were in hell under my watch.” She grunted as she kicked Zanna in the stomach.

Zanna howled in pain, her previous wounds burning. “That all you got?” She asked through gritted teeth.

The woman made eye contact with whomever was holding Zanna down. “Mission, why don't you show the little Jedi here what else we have to show her?”

“I’d love to,” The voice behind her hissed. She kicked Zanna in the back, causing her to scream as she felt the scabs break while the curly haired woman grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.

This girl, Mission, was smaller than the other, maybe Zanna’s height, but was heavily armored in a red bonadan alloyed suit. She had black hair slicked back into a ponytail, her brown eyes shooting daggers at the Jedi. She grinned at Zanna, then reached for something on her belt. “I always love getting to meet the boyfriend,” She taunted, pulling out a small frag grenade. She turned to Atton.

“What are you- OW!” Zanna attempted to speak, but was immediately hit with the blaster pistol on the back of her head.

“It’s rude to interrupt,” The curly haired woman said coolly. “Please continue, Mission.”

Mission reached for Atton’s mouth, pulling it open further. “He seems like a talker.” She activated the frag, causing its lights to blink, then brought it up to his mouth. “Want me to fix it?” She hissed, cocking her head.

Zanna stared helplessly, panicking. She sat on her knees in silence.

“That’s what I thought.” She deactivated the grenade, placing it back into her belt.

“That’s much better.” The woman behind her sneered, then pulled Zanna’s hair, making her stand up, and turned her around. “Now I’m _positive_ there won’t be any more inconveniences, right?” She brought the pistol up with her left hand, tilting it up under her head. “ _Right_?”

Zanna continued to be obedient and stay silent, staring at the ground.

“Ausur?” Yet another female voice sounded, although this one was aided with static. “Ausur, do you copy?”

“Ren’Li, this isn’t Ausur,” The woman spoke into an unseen com link, most likely embedded in her armor. “Try frequency 1.”

“Alright, but you should know too- you all need to be out of there fast. The ramp is set to close in approximately five minutes; I can’t keep it open forever.”

“Understood, Ren’Li.”

“Kyra!” A man suddenly appeared behind the curly haired woman. He was large in stature, armored with a blue Mandalorian battle suit, with red hair and a beard.

“Dammit, what is it?” The curly haired woman spoke.

“For the love of god, have you incapacitated the bounty yet?!” He looked past the two. “Mission, get your ass back on the ship. Tell Ren’Li we’ll be out in three minutes.”

“Yes, sir.” She walked past Zanna and Kyra, and off out of sight.

Kyra swiftly brought her right arm up. “Relax, Ausur! Damn! I’ve got it under control.” The next moment, a dart flew into Zanna’s neck. Kyra leaned in, inches away from Zanna’s face. “Immobilization darts. One of my favorites, really.”

“Are you done yet?!” The man asked angrily.

“Damn, calm down. It’s taken care of.”

“Good, we need to leave before the others wake up.” He walked next to Kyra. “Finish your task and get back on the ship.”

“Yes, your highness,” She hissed, turning around.

The bearded man, Ausur, stood in front of Zanna, then glanced behind her at Atton. He laughed. “Sorry that your _boyfriend_ had to watch this,” he taunted, scooping her up over his shoulder. He looked at Atton. “Don’t worry, buddy- the effect of those darts should wear off soon.”

 

 

“Well it’s about damn time you showed up! I’ve been ready to go for fifteen minutes.”

In her immobilized state (as well as in her current position of being over the man’s shoulder,) Zanna was able to see another woman sitting in what she assumed was a pilot’s chair. She had red hair and dark skin, while Mission sat beside her, most likely co-piloting. Zanna assumed that it was Ren’Li, the one who came through on Kyra’s com link.

“Just be quiet and get us out of here.” Ausur ordered.

“You don’t have to be an ass about it.” Ren’Li started up the ship they were on. 

Ausur continued to carry her on his shoulders, walking through the ship until they entered a large room- presumably used for storage. He threw her onto the ground, where she landed face-first, back throbbing from all the pain. He walked towards her, knelt down, then aggressively flipped her over, the wounds fiery from the movement. He gaped at her. “So, _this_ is the ‘Last of the Jedi’?” He snorted. “Truthfully, I’m disappointed.”

Zanna suddenly began to regain feeling in her limbs. She finally was able to shakily crane her neck to look at him. “Me too, to be honest.”

He immediately stood up, aghast. “How did you-?”

“Jedi are trained to repel stupid shit like this dart,” She explained, her neck becoming steady. “Dumbass.”

He growled, kicking her in her side. “I’d watch that mouth of yours.”

She groaned in pain, then quickly composed herself. “Or what?” She snorted. “You gonna kick me again?”

He glowered at her. “I could just use this.” He reached for his belt, and ignited a double-bladed lightsaber, purple in color.

She stared at him in disbelief. “Where did you get that?! You’re not a Jedi, are you?”

He laughed. “Found this on the body of one. I, myself, am not though.”

She gaped at the saber. “Whose was it?”

He shrugged. “Some slaughtered pig with one hell of a mustache.”

“Zez-Kai Ell…” She breathed. “How did you manage to swipe that from a Jedi Master?”

He smirked at her.

“AUSUR!” Kyra’s voice bellowed out from the corridor. “Ausur, where are you? Ren’Li needs you up in the cockpit.”

He groaned. “Why?”

Kyra appeared in the doorway, the mask gone. “It’s not my problem.”

Ausur glared at her.

“GO!” She yelled.

He took one final look at Zanna, then retreated from the storage room. Kyra looked down at her and laughed. “This is my favorite part of my job,” She said, sauntering towards her, pistol in hand. “I get to be in here with the _bounties_.” Kyra smiled cruelly. “Now… Who’s ready to have some _fun_?”

 

 

“Damn, I’m awake! I’m AWAKE!” Mira swatted away Atton, who was shaking her. “What the hell is your problem? The sun’s not even all the way up yet.”

“She’s gone.”

She sat up. “What do you mean, she’s _gone_? Who’s gone?”

He huffed. “I mean, I watched as Zanna was beaten and taken away by some shit sacks around an hour ago!”

“WHAT?!” Mira stood up. “Why didn’t you come get us to help?!”  
  “Because, I couldn’t move. I had a dart in my neck.” He punched the wall in fury. “I watched the whole damn thing happen and once again I was a helpless gizka!”

“Hey, calm down. Let’s go get the others.”

“I did- they’re all in the main hold. You’re the last one.”

“Oh, you’re shitting me. Why?!” She demanded, hands on her hips.

He glared at her. “I’m not having this conversation with you right now, Mira.”

She shook her head. “Right. Sorry.”

He stormed out of Mira’s quarters into the main hold, where the rest of the crew was sitting. “Kreia!” He called. “Are you getting anything?”

“No,” Her croaky voice responded. “Her presence is eluding me… She must be unconscious.”

Visas crossed her arms in frustration. “How did none of us hear any of these enemies board the ship? Or walk around, for that matter?”

“They snuck in.” Bao-Dur spoke up. “There’s no record of the door opening or closing other than what we ourselves have done prior to an hour ago, where it was opened only for their exit.”

“Who is capable of doing such a thing?” Visas asked.

“DWOOOOP-BREEEEP?” T3 whistled.

“I checked the security tape already,” Bao-Dur answered. “Anything that would show who they were has been erased.”

“ _Dwooooop…_ ” The remote beeped defeatedly.

“Wait,” Atton mumbled, looking around. “Where’d Mical go?”

“I am in the cargo hold!” He called out.

“Why the hell are you in there?!” Atton cried out in annoyance.

“I began to search the ship when I heard of her absence- You most likely would want to see what I have found.”

The crew hurriedly entered the cargo hold, where Mical was facing one of the walls closest to where Mira and Mical’s things were packed.

“What did you find?” Atton asked desperately.

He subtly pointed to a piece of paper, hung up on the wall.

“What does it say?” Kreia asked.

Atton looked at the note, and read:

 

**By now, you’re all most likely wondering where your lovely Jedi friend has gone off to. Well, she’s gone. She’s slipped by all six of you; although the scoundrel didn't have much of a fair fight. (Sorry, handsome.) Oh, but don’t blame yourselves for letting the Exile slip from your pathetic grip- blame the “Bounty Hunter” who decided to break the rules. We’re cashing in the bounty for the Exile, so don’t even bother trying to get her back. Although, I bet Mira would LOVE coming back to Nar Shaddaa. Wouldn’t it be FUN getting the gang back together, M? Hope to see you soon!**

**-K**

 

 

Atton slowly turned to look at Mira, fire in his eyes. “What did you do?!”

Mira’s face flushed, staring at the note. “No…” She whispered. “It’s not possible…” Her attention switched to the left of the room.

The whole crew stared at Mira. Mical grabbed her shoulders. “Do you know who did this?!” He cried.

Mira shook in his grasp, then pointed at one of the storage containers on their left- a strange symbol was slashed into it.

“MIRA!” Atton yelled. “Who did this?!”

She looked at him, the utmost disbelief in her eyes as she stared at the symbol. “I don’t believe it… It’s M.A.R.K 4.”

 


	6. Taken

**CHAPTER 6: TAKEN**

 

“What the pfassk is M.A.R.K 4?!” Atton cried.

“I’ll explain on the way, but we need to get to Nar Shaddaa before it’s too late.” She immediately began walking out of the cargo hold to the cockpit.

Mical and Atton hurried behind her. “Too late?” Mical asked. “For what?”

Mira looked behind her, still frantically walking. “I know these guys…” She said, rage in her voice. “And some of ‘em don’t care about turning in a bounty that’s dead.”

Bao-Dur came running up behind them just as they entered the cockpit. “Mira, you know these people?”

She snorted. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Wanna be a little more specific?”Atton stared at her, then the realization occurred: “Son of a-! You used to be a part of this, didn’t you?!”

Mira sat herself down in the co-pilot’s chair as Atton took the one beside her. “Yeah. I did.” She paused, “A very long time ago.”

“Okay, we’re taking off,” Atton proclaimed. The Ebon Hawk’s engine slowly came to life, and the ship steadily rose up. “We’re going to have to jump to hyperspace if we’re going to catch up to them.”

“Do whatever you damn well please,” Mira started, staring at him. “It won’t matter. Risk 4 is probably already docking on Nar Shaddaa.”

“ _Risk_ 4?” Atton asked in confusion. “I thought it was _Mark_ 4?”

“That’s Ren’Li’s ship. When she was brought onto the team, she brought the ship with her.” She looked up at Bao-Dur. “She’s the _you_ of their team,” she explained. “She somehow was able to make gadgets and armor for us all that resisted Jedi tricks and Force powers.”

“So that’s how they were able to come on board undetected…” Bao-Dur mumbled as Visas also entered the cockpit.

“Who’s the short one? Black hair?” Atton asked. “She’s the one that put a frag in my mouth.”

“One of them put a grenade in your mouth?!” Mical asked in shock.

“Yeah; Zan tried to say something in retaliation to getting beaten, so this tiny chick pops a frag in my mouth to make her cooperate.”

“Mother of moons…” Visas mumbled.

“Yeah.” Atton continued to maneuver the Hawk. “Harpy…” he muttered under his breath.

“That would be Mission.” Mira scowled. “My replacement.”

“Replacement?” Bao-Dur shook his head. “Why would they need to replace you?”

She shrugged. “To put an ‘M’ back into M.A.R.K 4. And also to spite me.”

“But-” Atton began to speak.

“Why don’t we just let Mira tell us the full story before we keep bombarding her with questions?” Mical suggested.

Atton grunted. “Fine, as long as I get to know what kind of scum we’re dealing with.”

“Just focus more on actually getting us to Nar Shaddaa or it won’t matter anyways!” Mira snapped angrily.

Atton sighed in exasperation. “I’ll be fine. Just tell us, Red. We’re anxious to hear about our new friends.”

She glared at him. “So this actually requires me to go a little further into my past.”

“Well, we’ve got the time for it.” Bao-Dur said thoughtfully.

Mira took a deep breath. “I was actually really hoping I’d never have to tell any of you this,” she mumbled, “so I’ll just get to the important part and I won’t get into specifics, because, frankly, I don’t want you all to know my life story. So, I was there at Malachor-”

“What?! Whose side were you-OOF!” Mira punched Atton in the chest as he began to ask her the question. “The hell was that for?!” He cried.

“For asking for specifics.” Mira hissed. “If you want to hear about M.A.R.K 4 just shut the hell up and let me finish my damn sentence!”

Atton remained silent, pouting in the pilot’s chair.

“Good.” Mira smoothed out her jacket. “Like I was saying, I was at Malachor in a squad with them. Then I think we all know what happened there…” The group sat in uncomfortable, momentary silence- although the pain on Bao-Dur’s face was clear, most likely feeling the guilt of single-handedly creating the weapon that caused the planet to be destroyed. He hung his head as Malachor was mentioned. “And then all four of us made our way to Nar Shaddaa. Dangerous place, but between all of us, we had the skills to be kick ass bounty hunters. I was designated team leader-”

Atton snorted in disbelief, which resulted in another punch to the chest. “Would you _stop it_?!” He cried, rubbing his chest.

“Atton, for the love of all that is good,” Mical breathed, annoyance on his face, “would you just _stay silent_?!”

“Jeez, alright!” He twisted his face in annoyance. “Go on, Red, I’m all ears.”

“So I was named team leader by universal decree,” She hissed at him. “Which really pissed Ausur off. He thought that since he was the man, it should have been him.”

“Sexist pig.” Visas grumbled in annoyance.

“Right?” Mira looked back at Visas in agreement. “Anyway, he’s more or less the ‘muscle’ of M.A.R.K 4. If we needed any more persuasion, we’d bring him in. Other than that, he would make sure no witnesses saw us prey on our bounties.”

“You say that like you’re a kath hound stalking it’s meal…” Mical said, slightly disgusted.

Mira shrugged. “That’s how bounty hunting works. You track down your target without being seen and take them out and away as fast as you can.”

“ _Take them out_?” Bao-Dur leaned over the co-pilot’s seat to look at her. “What happened to ‘I don’t kill my targets’?”

“Not _kill_ them! Damn, calm down.” Mira huffed. “We would incapacitate them so there wasn’t a struggle.”

Bao-Dur leaned back in embarrassment. “Oh…”

“Although, that’s why I eventually left.”

“They started killing,” Visas assumed.

“Not so much _they_ … Mostly just Kyra”

Atton sat up, attentive. “She’s the harpy with the curls, right?”

Mira nodded. “Yeah, that bitch is out of her damn mind.”

Atton groaned. “I figured as much once she paralyzed both me and Zan with darts and then sounded like she was enjoying herself watching us being in pain.”

“Wait, she did what?!” Mira asked in shock.

Atton glanced over at her, confused. “Yeah… Did I…. Did I seriously not mention that?”

“No, he mentioned it,” Bao-Dur acknowledged quietly.

“That _SCHUTTA_!” Mira hit the wall beside her.

“Whoa, calm down!” Atton exclaimed. “Don’t break anything! The last thing we need is for the ship to-”

“She stole my tech!” She screamed in anguish. “Ren’Li must have figured out how I made my wrist launcher!” She hit the wall again. “Bantha fodder…”

“Mira, I know that is troubling you,” Mical gently put his hand on her shoulder. “But we need for you to continue on if we are to know exactly what we will be up against.”

She growled, then took a deep breath. “Fine.” She adjusted herself in her seat. “Kyra got a little too excited about hurting the bounties. If it wasn’t for Ren’Li and myself, all the targets we’d tracked down would be cashed in as dead.”

“Ren’Li?”  Visas asked. “She wasn’t alright with the excessive violence either?”

“Nope.” Mira shook her head. “Which is strange how she ended up with a girl like Mission. We were all shocked when we first were introduced to her… They don’t quite go together, if you know what I mean.”

Atton and Bao-Dur glanced at her in confusion. “What do you-” Atton began. “Ooooh. I get it now.”

“Oh.” Bao-Dur pursed his lips. “That is definitely a strange pairing.”

Mical looked at each person, baffled. “What do you mean?”

“Oh my god…” Atton said under his breath. He then turned his head. “Blondie, they’re together. They’re a unit.” Still seeing the bewilderment on Mical’s face, he concluded, “They’re a _couple_.”

“ **Oh**!” Mical’s cheeks bloomed red in embarrassment. “Understood.”

The group sat in an uncomfortable silence until Mira cleared her throat. “Yeah, so continuing on, Kyra got way too crazy. I don’t kill my bounties, and I made that clear when we formed the group. After a while, she started doing things her way.” She scowled. “Soon enough, she would take the others out to collect the bounties by themselves so that I wouldn’t protest her extreme methods. So I left.”

“Good for you, Red.” Atton gave her a thumbs up. “Sticking it to the man. Or, woman, or whatever.”

“Yeah, thanks. After that, I was on my own. Ausur decided he was going to be in charge, so technically he’s captain, although Kyra actually calls the shots. Then, Ren’Li brought aboard Mission and she started helping Kyra out with incapacitating bounties and then launching frags, poison, concussion, ion, and all those fun grenades. So with Mission on board, they’ve become one of the best Bounty Hunter Squads on Nar Shaddaa.” 

“So how are we exactly supposed to get Zan back?!” Atton exclaimed. “If they’re so damn good?”

“You seem to be forgetting something, flyboy,” Mira taunted.

Atton turned to look at her. “What’s that?”  
“I said they’re _one_ of the best-” She pointed to herself, smirking. “I’m number _one_.”

 

 

“Dammit, I said be careful! She’s the number one bounty!” Ausur screamed into the storage room on Risk 4, where Kyra was looming over Zanna, curled up with her hands still cuffed behind her back. “We need her alive!”

“Well, we don’t _need_ her alive,” Kyra snorted. “We’d just get paid more if she was.” She grinned down and kicked the Jedi once again. Zanna’s wound on her back had broken through some of the scabbing, her white shirt spotted with blood. Her arms were tender and sore from being kicked and hit, and she also now had a black eye.

Zanna spat blood, then growled at the woman above her. “I’d love to see you give it your best sh-ARGH!”  
Kyra had stomped down on her face, breaking her nose with a deafening crack. “What was that?” She brought her hand up to hear ear in mockery. “I couldn’t hear you over the sound of your nose breaking.”

Tears uncontrollably welled up in Zanna’s already swollen eyes. Her breathing was heavy, but her face was twisted in rage. “Honestly, you’re gonna have to kill me to shut me up, you schutta!”

“Which she will NOT do.” Ausur said threateningly. “I’m the captain, Ky. Not you.”

She turned around to face him, holding her pistol up, laughing menacingly. “Oh, I’d love to see you even _try_ to-”

Ausur quickly pulled out the double bladed lightsaber and swung it forward, looming inches away from Kyra’s face. “What was that?” 

Kyra growled at him, lowering her weapon. “Fine.” She fanned her fingers out. “I’ll leave the bounty alone.”

“Good.” Ausur didn’t move. “Now, get out of here before you lower the price any more! Besides, we’re nearly to Nar Shaddaa now.”

“Hey, guys?” Ren’Li stuck her head into the room. “The tracker that Ky placed on the Ebon Hawk has been detected.” She locked eyes with Ausur. “They’re coming after us.”

“Sithspit!” Ausur shook his head angrily.

“No worries.” Kyra shrugged. “They won’t be able to reach us under the Jekk’Jekk Tarr.” She paused, then stared back down at Zanna. “Although those Jedi do have their tricks…” She snapped her head up. “Ren’li! Get in here to disguise the bounty.”

Ren’Li hesitated. “How do I do that?”

Kyra snorted. “However you phassking want! Damn!” She knelt down next to Zanna and pulled out a knife from her suit’s belt. “I’ll get you started if you’d like.” She smiled at the Jedi insincerely. “Hope you aren't attached to that hair of yours.”

“What?!” Zanna stared at her horrified. “OW!” Kyra had abruptly yanked her hair above her head, pulling her head up off the ground. In the next instant, her head hit the floor, her hair in Kyra’s hands.

Kyra turned back to Ren’Li. “See how simple that was?! Do anything you can to make her unrecognizable.”

“Oh, okay. Sure.” Ren’Li came forward as Ausur left the room.

Kyra stood above Zanna, her black hair clutched in her hand. “I so enjoyed our girl time.” Kyra smiled smugly at the Jedi, then dropped her hair onto the ground before she walked away.

Zanna gaped at her hair on the floor, her head aching from being pulled around. She quietly began to cry to herself, looking up at Ren’Li. “Do whatever you want,” she told her quietly. “I haven’t died yet, so give it your all.”

Ren’Li looked quickly behind her, then closed the door of the storage room. She faced Zanna again. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Zanna snorted, then rolled over so she couldn’t be seen crying. “Yeah, sure you’re not. Only thing left you can break is my dignity, so go for it.”

Ren’Li slowly walked and knelt down, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Look, Mira was my friend. We thought a lot alike.”

Zanna slowly turned back over (which was difficult because of the cuffs on her wrist). “Mira?” She breathed. “You were friends?”

Ren’Li nodded, smiling weakly. “Both of us refused to kill or harm the bounties we went after. So, I promise that I’m not going to harm you.” She leaned over Zanna, unlocking the cuffs on her wrist. “Don’t try anything funny, though. I still can’t be affected by your tricks; I’m just giving you a minute to breathe.”

Zanna’s hands immediately reached for the top of her head- almost all her hair had been chopped off. Her face twisted in sadness, beginning to weep. She brought her hands to her face in agony.

Ren’Li stared at her. “I’m sorry, Jedi. I really am. Kyra’s gotten worse when it comes to the bounties.”

“Save your pity.” Zanna sniffed, wiping the blood from her face.

“If you could see inside my head, you’d know I’m being sincere.” She stood up and walked over to a small whicker basket, pulling some clothes out of it. “Here,” She said, tossing them over to Zanna. “Put these on before we land. Otherwise I can’t guarantee you’ll get out of this ship without any more injuries.”

Zanna grabbed the clothes slowly, looking up at Ren’Li. “Thanks.” She disrobed to change into a black and baggy man’s shirt, black leather pants, and an oversized man’s jacket. “Where did these even come from?”

“Other bounties…” She answered hesitantly. “The ones that didn’t make it alive.”

Zanna nodded. “Ah. Got it.” She changed into the clothes, the pain from her old wounds as well as the new ones aching. She closed her eyes and focused on letting the Force flow through her to heal her wounds. She sighed in relief as some of the pain was relieved.

Ren’Li watched her as she did so. “What’re you doing?”

“Just a Jedi thing,” She answered, eyes still closed.

“Oh.” She took a step closer. “You know, I’ve always thought that the Jedi were really awesome.”

Zanna opened an eye. “Yeah?”

Ren’Li smiled, nodding. “Absolutely. They-” Suddenly the ship started to slow, losing altitude. She looked at Zanna, panicked. “Quick-sit down. I need to put those cuffs back on you.”

“What?”

“Now.” Ren’Li’s face suddenly became serious. “Kyra will be back in here any second.” Zanna looked up at her, hesitant. “Please, Jedi. Trust me.”

Zanna eyed the bounty hunter. _She seems sincere…_ “Fine.” She turned around and put her wrists together.

Ren’Li hurriedly placed the cuffs on, just finishing as Kyra and Ausur walked back in.

“Get back to the cockpit, Mission needs you to dock,” Ausur commanded. “And put on the cloaking device. We don’t need anyone to be on our asses.”

“Sure thing.” Ren’Li gave a quick glance down to Zanna, then swiftly walked back to the cockpit.

“Who’s ready for some more fun?!” Kyra bounced up, smiling chaotically.

Zanna stared at her. “I hope that you’re not referring to me.”

Ausur walked forward towards her. “Let’s move it, Jedi. Time to collect the bounty.”

“After what your lady friend did to me, I doubt you’ll get much.”

“Well we definitely won’t get what we deserve with that kind of mouth on you.” She pulled her right wrist up, a dart peaking out of the top. “Nighty-night, Jedi.”

And just like that, her vision became black once again.

 

 

“That’s a load of crap!”

Zanna’s hearing slowly began to come back, although her body ached so much she couldn’t move.

“We agreed on the price,” She heard Ausur’s deep voice, furious, speaking. “We brought you the Jedi, just like you asked- And NOW you’re telling us that we’re only getting half?!”

“This is non-negotiable, Ausur.” An unfamiliar voice said. “Now leave my ship, or I will have you and the rest of your team forcefully removed.”

“Why don’t you grow a pair and come face us yourself!” Kyra screamed, obviously enraged. “Or are you too gizka, hm? Always hiding behind a hologram! It’s ridiculous.”

Zanna blinked her eyes open. She was staring at Ausur’s armor, seemingly upside down. She craned her head, and realized he was carrying her over her shoulder.

“I will not tell you again,” The new voice said. “Leave now.”

“We’re leaving, alright!” Mission spoke, enraged. “And we’re gonna take our bounty with us!” 

Zanna was able to make out a few beeps, then a loud BANG as smoke began to fill the room. 

“That’ll teach him,” Mission said smugly. “Let’s get outta here!”

The group began to run, Zanna still over his shoulder. _How do I get myself away from them?!_ She carefully twitched her fingers and wrists- the cuffs, for some inexplicable reason, had been removed. _Oh my god… This is my chance_. She twisted her face and inhaled deeply. _Better do something now, Hal_. She abruptly kicked her leg backwards, kicking Ausur directly in the face.

“OW!” He wailed, and, out of shock, dropped her onto the ground. She immediately crawled away from him, the smoke blinding her vision. “WHERE’D SHE GO?!” He screamed.

“You LOST her?!” Kyra cried. “You pfassking _idiot_!”

Zanna frantically crawled on the ground, desperate to find a way to escape from M.A.R.K 4. She felt her way across the floor, finally feeling a door. The oversized jacket she was put in was dragging her down. She growled as she took it off, flinging it to the side. She quickly pushed open the door and crawled inside. She stood up, panicked. _So far, so good._ The lights in the room were off, so she walked slowly forward. Her heart pounded within her chest. _Where in Sith Hells am I…_ She continued walking down the slim hallway.

Suddenly, the lights turned on, and a hologram of a man with a long beard appeared in front of her. “What an amusing Jedi specimen you are.”

She eyed him curiously. Who are you?”

“I’m the one who put the bounty on your head, Jedi.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re Goto,” she said breathlessly.

“That would be correct.” His deep voice answered.

“Damn.” She exhaled in frustration, the panic setting in further. She abruptly turned on her heels towards the door.

“That’s not a very wise choice.” Goto’s voice rang out through the hallway.

Just as she reached the door, it slid open to reveal a group of massive battle droids, all equipped with weapons pointed towards her.

“Now,” Goto’s voice purred, “I expect there won’t be any more complications. If you’d be so kind,  you’ll follow my droids off to your cell.”

She growled, putting her hands up in surrender as a few of the droids began to lead the way. She stood still, head hanging. One of the droids zapped her with an electric shock. “OUCH!” She squeaked. “The hell was that for?”

“ _Move it._ ” The droid ordered.

She followed the droids out of the hallway, then through Goto’s massive ship. She looked around as the droids led her through a hallway of containment cells. She stopped in her tracks as she walked past the second cell.

“ _Master Vrook_?!” She cried out in surprise.

The old Jedi Master sat in his cell, looking up in shock as his name was called out. “Exile?!” He stood up to get a better look at his former student.

“OUCH!” Zanna had been shocked again, prodded by the droid to keep moving. She locked eyes with Vrook, and kept staring at him until he was no longer in view. Her mouth kept open with surprise as the droids entered a smaller room with a force cage in front of her.

“ _Get in._ ” The droid ordered her again.

She hesitated, then stepped into the confinement of the cage. 

“ _Arms up._ ”

Bewildered, she raised her arms, which were immediately locked into cuffs from above her. “A force cage? Seriously? This is ridiculous.”

The droids paid no attention to her and left as the cage’s force field was activated.

She stood helpless in the cage, arms stretched high above her head. The realization of the severity of her situation sinking in, she began to cry once more. _If Master Vrook hasn’t been able to escape… How the hell will_ I _?_

 

 

 _“Well, here we are: The Smuggler’s Moon.” Atton proclaimed, standing up after docking the Ebon Hawk. “Swallowing all the space port thugs the galaxy has to offer.”_  
_Zanna stared at him. “How do you mean?”_  
_He sighed, counting on his fingers. “Mandalorians, mercenaries, war veterans and pilots from the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War all ended up on Nar Shaddaa.” He looked up. “From all sides of the conflict. When the last war ended, there was no place else for them to go.”_  
_“Sounds lovely.” Zanna fastened her lightsabers onto her belt. “Let’s get moving, then.”_  
_“Hold up,” Atton said, grabbing her arm. “Nar Shaddaa’s a rough place and easy to get lost in.”_  
_She grimaced at him. “So?”_  
_“Or for someone to get lost.” He concluded._  
_“That could work to our advantage,” Kreia added. “If the planet is as busy as you say, then perhaps we can accomplish our task undetected.”_  
_“Trust me, if we wanted to keep out of sight from the Sith for a while, you couldn’t pick a better spot.”_  
_Zanna paused, thinking. “Wait, then how hard would it be to find a Jedi here?”_  
_Atton smirked at her. “Not too long- you just gotta know where to look.”_

 

 

“Honestly, Mira, do you even know where to look?!” Atton’s voice was a mixture of panic and angst. “Time is kind of a factor here.”

Mira huffed and turned on her heels. “Look, I know you just want to find her. I do too.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “But you’re forgetting how tracking people down is what I do.” She patted his shoulder and swiftly turned back around. She was hurriedly walking to the docks of Nar Shaddaa, with Bao-Dur, Visas, Mical and Atton following close behind.

“Why did Kreia not join us?” Mical leisurely asked the group.

“Don’t know, don’t care.” Atton replied without hesitation.

“Although…” Bao-Dur pondered, “Don’t you think it’s rather odd that a Jedi mentor wouldn’t join us to go rescue her student?”

“I honestly, truthfully don’t give a damn about that harpy,” Atton breathed angrily. “And I happen to find it odd that you guys aren’t one hundred percent focused on Zan right now!”

“Atton, would you just calm down?!” Mira nearly yelled as they approached the docks. “We’re going to find her and she’s going to be fine, so _zip it_!”

“I sense her life still,” Visas told the group. “She’s alright, for now.”

“Hooray!” Mira threw her arms up in sarcasm. “Now we can all calm the _shit_ down and focus on finding M.A.R.K 4!”

“Damn,” Bao-Dur mumbled. “Don’t have to be rude about it…”

Mira slowed in speed, pointing to a pale blue Toydarian in the distance. “And _that_ is our first stop to finding them.”

“The…” Atton cocked his head in confusion. “The dock master?”

Mira nodded. “Yup.” She brought her hands to her mouth. “FASSA!” She yelled.

He spun around in the air, then groaned. “What do you want now, Mira?!” He asked in a disgruntled voice, hovering towards them.

“I need to know where Risk 4 is docked right now, and when it came onto Nar Shaddaa.”

“Oh…” He twisted his face. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, sweetheart.”

Mira put her hands on her hips. “What?! You owe me a favor, Fassa.”

He groaned quietly, rubbing his hands together nervously. “Yeah, but-”

“You will tell her what she wants to know,” Atton spoke, utmost authority in his voice. “And you will help us with whatever else we ask.”

Mira snapped her head to look over at him. “What the-?”

“Eh, I’ll tell you what you want to know…” Fassa’s voice became monotone. “And I’ll help you with whatever you ask.”

Atton smirked smugly. “Thank you.”

Mira shook her head at a loss for words. “Uh, yeah. So where did Risk 4 dock?”

“They made a deal with Visquis and got permission to dock underneath the Jekk’Jekk Tarr,” He said with a dead look in his eyes. “It docked approximately an hour ago.”

“Damn!” Mira said under her breath. She looked back up at the flying blue blob. “I don’t suppose you know where they went?”

“They contacted Goto to turn over their bounty. They were invited onto his yacht.”

“What?!” Mira cried out. “When did that happen?!” 

Fassa’s mouth hung slightly open. “Approximately twenty five minutes ago,” he said blankly.

Mira turned to look at the group. “Okay,” she said, putting her hands up. “So, they didn’t leave too long ago. But…” She inhaled deeply. “They are on the Exchange leader’s personal ship, though.”

“Is there any way to get on board?” Visas asked.

Mira stared at the floor, frowning.

Atton looked around at the group. “Oh, come on! There’s got to be some way! We need to rescue her!” He cried desperately.

“We know,” Mical told him in annoyance. “And in case you weren’t aware, you are not the only one who cares for her on this ship!”

Atton glared at him, fire in his eyes. “Then why don't you think of something?!

“Here we go…” Mira said quietly, rolling her eyes.

Mical gaped at him angrily. “I have not been on this planet, you hotheaded-”

Atton stretched forth his hand, immediately sending Mical backwards with the Force.

“What the hell is the matter with you?!” Bao-Dur shouted, walking right in front of Atton. Visas was helping Mical up, looking nastily back at Atton. “I know you want to find her, but this isn't going to help anything!”

Atton’s breathing was heavy, his teeth clenched in fury. “I’m done with him.” He walked back towards the refugee landing pad, looking back at the group. “I’ll find her _myself_.”

“Atton!” Mira screamed at his back. “You’re going to get yourself killed! We need to stick together!”

He continued walking, ignoring the group.

Bao-Dur watched as he left their line of sight, then wheeled around to face his companions. “Well?” He said, lifting his arms up shrugging. “What now?!”

Visas scowled. “What an absolute ass.”

 

 

Atton stalked into a small repair shop, a scowl on his face. An orange alien with large, black eyes was hunched over a workbench. “Hey, you in business?” He asked the alien.

The figure stood up. “Welcome to Tienn’s shop,” he greeted. “My eyes are old, but I can see you want something of me.”

“Tienn, was it?” Atton drew closer to the alien. “Look, I’m trying to find a way onto Goto’s ship. Is there anyway you could make that happen?”

Tienn laughed heartily. “Goto?! You can’t be serious.”

“Serious as can be,” Atton snarled. “He has someone I care about in custody, and I need to get her back.”

He sighed. “Listen, that ship is almost untraceable. It sports a cloaking device so it can’t be seen.” He paused. “Although…”

Atton’s heart skipped a beat. “Although? Although what?!”  
“If you were hunting for Goto’s yacht, your freighter would be flying blind- unless it was one of Vogga the Hutt’s cargo ships.”

“Vogga?” Atton asked in confusion. “What does he have to do with any of this?” Atton had had an encounter with Vogga the Hutt when he, Zanna and Kreia previously came to Nar Shaddaa in an attempt to track down Zez-Kai Ell.

“Goto’s been preying on Vogga’s freighters for a while now. Even with all the traffic that goes on on this planet, Goto always seems to know which ones are his, and his ship just snaps them up.”

“So he’s tracking them?” 

“Must be.”

“Is…” Atton shook his head, thinking. “Is there any way to change our ship’s ID signature? If it matches one of Vogga’s then we’d be in, right?!”

Tienn put his hand under his giant head. “It’s possible, yes. But I would need a transponder card with the ID.”

“Great,” He groaned. “How do I do that?”

_‘Atton!’_ Visas’ voice came into his mind. _‘Atton, listen to me!’_

“Hold on just one second…” He told Tienn.

He wheeled around, focusing on letting the Force link his mind to Visas’. _‘What is it?’_

_‘We found a way to get onto the yacht!’_ She said happily.

_‘Yeah? Well so did I,’_ Atton told her, unamused. _‘Whaddya got?’_

_‘Vogga the Hutt operates a droid warehouse, where he sends out all his freighters. If we can send T3 in, we can-’  
‘He can get a blank transponder card!_ ’ He exclaimed in his mind. _‘How did we wind up with the same plan?’_  
‘The Force works in mysterious ways,’ She said coolly.

_‘No, seriously.’  
‘Fassa told us.’_

Atton groaned. _‘I’ll be over in a minute.’  
‘I’m not too sure about that.’ _ Visas’ tone was strict.

_‘What do you mean?’  
‘The rest of us are not okay with how you acted. We have decided that you will remain wherever you are, and we will contact you when T3 has acquired the necessary information.’_

_‘What?! That’s ridiculous!’_ He paused, waiting for an answer. _‘Visas?’_ He sat in silence. _‘Dammit, woman!’_ He sighed, turning back around to Tienn.

“What was that about?” Tienn asked timidly.

Atton shrugged. “I’ve been unofficially put in time-out.”

Tienn raised his head. “Women troubles?”

Atton glared at him. “You could say that.”

 

 

“What’s taking that tin can so long?” Mira was getting impatient, as were the others. They sat near dingy apartments that were nestled within the Nar Shaddaa docks.

“The longer we wait here, the further away Zanna becomes…” Mical mused.

“Hey, give the little guy a break!” Bao-Dur said defensively. “That warehouse is bound to be filled with Vogga’s droids- we did not send him on an easy task.”

“I still am sensing life within her,” Visas confirmed to the group. “So as long as the droid doesn’t take too much longer, we have yet a chance to save her.”

“What if he does not come back at all?” Mical asked suddenly. He looked around. “What are we to do then?”

Mira shrugged. “We’ll figure something out. We’ll have to.”

“DWEEET-DOOOOOP-BREEEP!” T3-M4 came rounding the corner to the apartments, causing the whole group to cheer.

“Ey, look who it is!” Mira cried happily.

Bao-Dur smiled at the droid. “Did you get the transponder codes?”

“BWEEP! BOOOP-DEEEEE-REEET!”

“Excellent.” He grinned to the group. “We’re good to go!”

“I shall reach out to Atton to see where he is.”

Mira stared at Visas, who sat cross-legged on the ground. “This Jedi mumbo-jumbo will never cease to baffle me.”

“The ways of the Force are complex and extremely difficult to understand,” Mical said, attempting to explain. “Even for the Jedi, some aspects of the Force fail to be understood.”

She glared at him. “Yeah, okay. I’ll keep that in mind…” She rolled her eyes.

Visas finally stood up. “Atton has already found a technician of some sort who can accomplish what we seek to do.”

“Then let’s go meet up with him,” Bao-Dur suggested.

Mira stopped Mical in his tracks. “Even though he was being an ass to you before, please refrain from teenage bantha shit, alright?”

He laughed. “I will not, nor will I ever, stoop to his sort of behavior.”

“Well, thank the Force.” She began walking out of the apartments. “I was afraid you two would wind up in an argument on who’s the pfassking prettiest.”

“Let’s just go. We’re wasting time.”

 

 

“Well, it’s about time you all showed up!” Atton was sitting atop a plasteel cylinder in Tienn’s shop. He pointed at Visas as she walked in. “Yeah, and thanks for leaving me hanging.”

She smiled. “We didn’t need your childish behavior.”

“How was I acting childish?!” He whined.

“I won’t dignify that with a response.”

“ANYWAYS,” Bao-Dur yelled over the two, “We got the transponder card.” He handed it over to Tienn. “Can you switch our ship’s ID?”

Tienn took the card in his hand. “Yes, this will work nicely.”

“We’re gonna get my bounty back in no time,” Mira smirked.

“Okay, so we’ll head back to the ship and get ready to be abducted, then?” Atton asked hesitantly, looking around. “Great plan. Love it.” He did a thumbs up.

Tienn turned to face the rest of the group. “I must warn you all, this information on the card states that the freighter weighs a certain amount.”

“Is that a problem?” Visas asked.

“Indeed it could be,” Tienn replied. “Goto will know before the vessel is even intercepted it is not one of Vogga’s. Judging by your ship, I’d say it already is close to what this freighter’s is supposed to be.”

Atton leaned forward. “What are you saying?” he asked timidly.

“By the looks of it, only two of you would be able to stay on your ship to pass as one of Vogga’s.”

Mira hung her head backwards and groaned. “Oh my god, you have _got_ to be kidding me.”

“For the love of-” Atton started. “Okay, so quick decision time.”

“I think Mira should be on board.” Visas stated. “She has the knowledge to deal with any technological problems that arise, and if her old companions are still on board, she will be the only one to be able to successfully combat them.” She stared at Atton, who was giving her a stank face. “Or did you _want_ to get hit by a paralysis dart again? _She’s_ the one who knows how they operate. Mira’s the best chance to avoid them.” 

Atton sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Bao-Dur looked at Mira. “If I’m not going, I’ll give you some tools to help bypass security. It’s bound to be tight.”

Mira inhaled. “Alright, I’ll go.” She looked around hesitantly. “Who else?”

The group looked around at each other in tense silence. Mical stood up after a moment. “It has to be you, Atton.” He locked eyes with him.

Atton’s eyes widened in surprise. “Me?!” He looked quickly at the others, who all nodded. 

“Of course it has to be you.” Mical smiled at him. “She needs you right now, more than ever.” He inhaled deeply. “We all know it.”

Atton nodded humbly to Mical. “Thank you.”

Bao-Dur clapped his hands together. “Alright then. That settles that.”

Tienn gave the card back to Bao-Dur. “You people are crazy, but this will do the job for you.”

Mira looked over at Atton and grinned, fire in her eyes. “Let’s go crash ourselves a yacht.”

 

 

 

“Dammit, I said be careful! She’s the number one bounty!” Ausur screamed into the storage room on Risk 4, where Kyra was looming over Zanna, curled up with her hands still cuffed behind her back. “We need her alive!”  
“Well, we don’t need her alive,” Kyra snorted. “We’d just get paid more if she was.” She grinned down and kicked the Jedi once again. Zanna’s wound on her back had broken through some of the scabbing, her white shirt spotted with blood. Her arms were tender and sore from being kicked and hit, and she also now had a black eye.  
Zanna spat blood, then growled at the woman above her. “I’d love to see you give it your best sh-ARGH!”  Kyra had stomped down on her face, breaking her nose with a deafening crack. “What was that?” She brought her hand up to hear ear in mockery. “I couldn’t hear you over the sound of your nose breaking.”  
Tears uncontrollably welled up in Zanna’s already swollen eyes. Her breathing was heavy, but her face was twisted in rage. “Honestly, you’re gonna have to kill me to shut me up, you schutta!”  
“Which she will NOT do.” Ausur said threateningly. “I’m the captain, Ky. Not you.”  
She turned around to face him, holding her pistol up, laughing menacingly. “Oh, I’d love to see you even try to-”  
Ausur quickly pulled out the double bladed lightsaber and swung it forward, looming inches away from Kyra’s face. “What was that?”  
Kyra growled at him, lowering her weapon. “Fine.” She fanned her fingers out. “I’ll leave the bounty alone.”  
“Good.” Ausur didn’t move. “Now, get out of here before you lower the price any more! Besides, we’re nearly to Nar Shaddaa now.”  
“Hey, guys?” Ren’Li stuck her head into the room. “The tracker that Ky placed on the Ebon Hawk has been detected.” She locked eyes with Ausur. “They’re coming after us.”  
“Sithspit!” Ausur shook his head angrily.  
“No worries.” Kyra shrugged. “They won’t be able to reach us under the Jekk’Jekk Tarr.” She paused, then stared back down at Zanna. “Although those Jedi do have their tricks…” She snapped her head up. “Ren’li! Get in here to disguise the bounty.”  
Ren’Li hesitated. “How do I do that?”  
Kyra snorted. “However you phassking want! Damn!” She knelt down next to Zanna and pulled out a knife from her suit’s belt. “I’ll get you started if you’d like.” She smiled at the Jedi insincerely. “Hope you aren't attached to that hair of yours.”  
“What?!” Zanna stared at her horrified. “OW!” Kyra had abruptly yanked her hair above her head, pulling her head up off the ground. In the next instant, her head hit the floor, her hair in Kyra’s hands.  
Kyra turned back to Ren’Li. “See how simple that was?! Do anything you can to make her unrecognizable.”  
“Oh, okay. Sure.” Ren’Li came forward as Ausur left the room.  
Kyra stood above Zanna, her black hair clutched in her hand. “I so enjoyed our girl time.” Kyra smiled smugly at the Jedi, then dropped her hair onto the ground before she walked away.  
Zanna gaped at her hair on the floor, her head aching from being pulled around. She quietly began to cry to herself, looking up at Ren’Li. “Do whatever you want,” she told her quietly. “I haven’t died yet, so give it your all.”  
Ren’Li looked quickly behind her, then closed the door of the storage room. She faced Zanna again. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”  
Zanna snorted, then rolled over so she couldn’t be seen crying. “Yeah, sure you’re not. Only thing left you can break is my dignity, so go for it.”  
Ren’Li slowly walked and knelt down, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Look, Mira was my friend. We thought a lot alike.”  
Zanna slowly turned back over (which was difficult because of the cuffs on her wrist). “Mira?” She breathed. “You were friends?”  
Ren’Li nodded, smiling weakly. “Both of us refused to kill or harm the bounties we went after. So, I promise that I’m not going to harm you.” She leaned over Zanna, unlocking the cuffs on her wrist. “Don’t try anything funny, though. I still can’t be affected by your tricks; I’m just giving you a minute to breathe.”  
Zanna’s hands immediately reached for the top of her head- almost all her hair had been chopped off. Her face twisted in sadness, beginning to weep. She brought her hands to her face in agony.  
Ren’Li stared at her. “I’m sorry, Jedi. I really am. Kyra’s gotten worse when it comes to the bounties.”  
“Save your pity.” Zanna sniffed, wiping the blood from her face.  
“If you could see inside my head, you’d know I’m being sincere.” She stood up and walked over to a small whicker basket, pulling some clothes out of it. “Here,” She said, tossing them over to Zanna. “Put these on before we land. Otherwise I can’t guarantee you’ll get out of this ship without any more injuries.”  
Zanna grabbed the clothes slowly, looking up at Ren’Li. “Thanks.” She disrobed to change into a black and baggy man’s shirt, black leather pants, and an oversized man’s jacket. “Where did these even come from?”  
“Other bounties…” She answered hesitantly. “The ones that didn’t make it alive.”  
Zanna nodded. “Ah. Got it.” She changed into the clothes, the pain from her old wounds as well as the new ones aching. She closed her eyes and focused on letting the Force flow through her to heal her wounds. She sighed in relief as some of the pain was relieved.  
Ren’Li watched her as she did so. “What’re you doing?”  
“Just a Jedi thing,” She answered, eyes still closed.  
“Oh.” She took a step closer. “You know, I’ve always thought that the Jedi were really awesome.”  
Zanna opened an eye. “Yeah?”  
Ren’Li smiled, nodding. “Absolutely. They-” Suddenly the ship started to slow, losing altitude. She looked at Zanna, panicked. “Quick-sit down. I need to put those cuffs back on you.”  
“What?”  
“Now.” Ren’Li’s face suddenly became serious. “Kyra will be back in here any second.” Zanna looked up at her, hesitant. “Please, Jedi. Trust me.”  
Zanna eyed the bounty hunter. She seems sincere… “Fine.” She turned around and put her wrists together.  
Ren’Li hurriedly placed the cuffs on, just finishing as Kyra and Ausur walked back in.  
“Get back to the cockpit, Mission needs you to dock,” Ausur commanded. “And put on the cloaking device. We don’t need anyone to be on our asses.”  
“Sure thing.” Ren’Li gave a quick glance down to Zanna, then swiftly walked back to the cockpit.  
“Who’s ready for some more fun?!” Kyra bounced up, smiling chaotically.  
Zanna stared at her. “I hope that you’re not referring to me.”  
Ausur walked forward towards her. “Let’s move it, Jedi. Time to collect the bounty.”  
“After what your lady friend did to me, I doubt you’ll get much.”  
“Well we definitely won’t get what we deserve with that kind of mouth on you.” She pulled her right wrist up, a dart peaking out of the top. “Nighty-night, Jedi.”  
And just like that, her vision became black once again.

 

“That’s a load of crap!”  
Zanna’s hearing slowly began to come back, although her body ached so much she couldn’t move.  
“We agreed on the price,” She heard Ausur’s deep voice, furious, speaking. “We brought you the Jedi, just like you asked- And NOW you’re telling us that we’re only getting half?!”  
“This is non-negotiable, Ausur.” An unfamiliar voice said. “Now leave my ship, or I will have you and the rest of your team forcefully removed.”  
“Why don’t you grow a pair and come face us yourself!” Kyra screamed, obviously enraged. “Or are you too gizka, hm? Always hiding behind a hologram! It’s ridiculous.”  
Zanna blinked her eyes open. She was staring at Ausur’s armor, seemingly upside down. She craned her head, and realized he was carrying her over her shoulder.  
“I will not tell you again,” The new voice said. “Leave now.”  
“We’re leaving, alright!” Mission spoke, enraged. “And we’re gonna take our bounty with us!”  
Zanna was able to make out a few beeps, then a loud BANG as smoke began to fill the room.  
“That’ll teach him,” Mission said smugly. “Let’s get outta here!”  
The group began to run, Zanna still over his shoulder. How do I get myself away from them?! She carefully twitched her fingers and wrists- the cuffs, for some inexplicable reason, had been removed. Oh my god… This is my chance. She twisted her face and inhaled deeply. Better do something now, Hal. She abruptly kicked her leg backwards, kicking Ausur directly in the face.  
“OW!” He wailed, and, out of shock, dropped her onto the ground. She immediately crawled away from him, the smoke blinding her vision. “WHERE’D SHE GO?!” He screamed.  
“You LOST her?!” Kyra cried. “You pfassking idiot!”  
Zanna frantically crawled on the ground, desperate to find a way to escape from M.A.R.K 4. She felt her way across the floor, finally feeling a door. The oversized jacket she was put in was dragging her down. She growled as she took it off, flinging it to the side. She quickly pushed open the door and crawled inside. She stood up, panicked. So far, so good. The lights in the room were off, so she walked slowly forward. Her heart pounded within her chest. Where in Sith Hells am I… She continued walking down the slim hallway.  
Suddenly, the lights turned on, and a hologram of a man with a long beard appeared in front of her. “What an amusing Jedi specimen you are.”  
She eyed him curiously. Who are you?”  
“I’m the one who put the bounty on your head, Jedi.”  
Her eyes widened. “You’re Goto,” she said breathlessly.  
“That would be correct.” His deep voice answered.  
“Damn.” She exhaled in frustration, the panic setting in further. She abruptly turned on her heels towards the door.  
“That’s not a very wise choice.” Goto’s voice rang out through the hallway.  
Just as she reached the door, it slid open to reveal a group of massive battle droids, all equipped with weapons pointed towards her.  
“Now,” Goto’s voice purred, “I expect there won’t be any more complications. If you’d be so kind,  you’ll follow my droids off to your cell.”  
She growled, putting her hands up in surrender as a few of the droids began to lead the way. She stood still, head hanging. One of the droids zapped her with an electric shock. “OUCH!” She squeaked. “The hell was that for?”  
“Move it.” The droid ordered.  
She followed the droids out of the hallway, then through Goto’s massive ship. She looked around as the droids led her through a hallway of containment cells. She stopped in her tracks as she walked past the second cell.  
“Master Vrook?!” She cried out in surprise.  
The old Jedi Master sat in his cell, looking up in shock as his name was called out. “Exile?!” He stood up to get a better look at his former student.  
“OUCH!” Zanna had been shocked again, prodded by the droid to keep moving. She locked eyes with Vrook, and kept staring at him until he was no longer in view. Her mouth kept open with surprise as the droids entered a smaller room with a force cage in front of her.  
“Get in.” The droid ordered her again.  
She hesitated, then stepped into the confinement of the cage.  
“Arms up.”  
Bewildered, she raised her arms, which were immediately locked into cuffs from above her. “A force cage? Seriously? This is ridiculous.”  
The droids paid no attention to her and left as the cage’s force field was activated.  
She stood helpless in the cage, arms stretched high above her head. The realization of the severity of her situation sinking in, she began to cry once more. If Master Vrook hasn’t been able to escape… How the hell will I?

 

“Well, here we are: The Smuggler’s Moon.” Atton proclaimed, standing up after docking the Ebon Hawk. “Swallowing all the space port thugs the galaxy has to offer.”  Zanna stared at him. “How do you mean?”  He sighed, counting on his fingers. “Mandalorians, mercenaries, war veterans and pilots from the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War all ended up on Nar Shaddaa.” He looked up. “From all sides of the conflict. When the last war ended, there was no place else for them to go.”  “Sounds lovely.” Zanna fastened her lightsabers onto her belt. “Let’s get moving, then.”  “Hold up,” Atton said, grabbing her arm. “Nar Shaddaa’s a rough place and easy to get lost in.”  She grimaced at him. “So?”  “Or for someone to get lost.” He concluded.  “That could work to our advantage,” Kreia added. “If the planet is as busy as you say, then perhaps we can accomplish our task undetected.”  “Trust me, if we wanted to keep out of sight from the Sith for a while, you couldn’t pick a better spot.”  Zanna paused, thinking. “Wait, then how hard would it be to find a Jedi here?”  Atton smirked at her. “Not too long- you just gotta know where to look.”

 

“Honestly, Mira, do you even know where to look?!” Atton’s voice was a mixture of panic and angst. “Time is kind of a factor here.”  
Mira huffed and turned on her heels. “Look, I know you just want to find her. I do too.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “But you’re forgetting how tracking people down is what I do.” She patted his shoulder and swiftly turned back around. She was hurriedly walking to the docks of Nar Shaddaa, with Bao-Dur, Visas, Mical and Atton following close behind.  
“Why did Kreia not join us?” Mical leisurely asked the group.  
“Don’t know, don’t care.” Atton replied without hesitation.  
“Although…” Bao-Dur pondered, “Don’t you think it’s rather odd that a Jedi mentor wouldn’t join us to go rescue her student?”  
“I honestly, truthfully don’t give a damn about that harpy,” Atton breathed angrily. “And I happen to find it odd that you guys aren’t one hundred percent focused on Zan right now!”  
“Atton, would you just calm down?!” Mira nearly yelled as they approached the docks. “We’re going to find her and she’s going to be fine, so zip it!”  
“I sense her life still,” Visas told the group. “She’s alright, for now.”  
“Hooray!” Mira threw her arms up in sarcasm. “Now we can all calm the shit down and focus on finding M.A.R.K 4!”  
“Damn,” Bao-Dur mumbled. “Don’t have to be rude about it…”  
Mira slowed in speed, pointing to a pale blue Toydarian in the distance. “And that is our first stop to finding them.”  
“The…” Atton cocked his head in confusion. “The dock master?”  
Mira nodded. “Yup.” She brought her hands to her mouth. “FASSA!” She yelled.  
He spun around in the air, then groaned. “What do you want now, Mira?!” He asked in a disgruntled voice, hovering towards them.  
“I need to know where Risk 4 is docked right now, and when it came onto Nar Shaddaa.”  
“Oh…” He twisted his face. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, sweetheart.”  
Mira put her hands on her hips. “What?! You owe me a favor, Fassa.”  
He groaned quietly, rubbing his hands together nervously. “Yeah, but-”  
“You will tell her what she wants to know,” Atton spoke, utmost authority in his voice. “And you will help us with whatever else we ask.”  
Mira snapped her head to look over at him. “What the-?”  
“Eh, I’ll tell you what you want to know…” Fassa’s voice became monotone. “And I’ll help you with whatever you ask.”  
Atton smirked smugly. “Thank you.”  
Mira shook her head at a loss for words. “Uh, yeah. So where did Risk 4 dock?”  
“They made a deal with Visquis and got permission to dock underneath the Jekk’Jekk Tarr,” He said with a dead look in his eyes. “It docked approximately an hour ago.”  
“Damn!” Mira said under her breath. She looked back up at the flying blue blob. “I don’t suppose you know where they went?”  
“They contacted Goto to turn over their bounty. They were invited onto his yacht.”  
“What?!” Mira cried out. “When did that happen?!”  
Fassa’s mouth hung slightly open. “Approximately twenty five minutes ago,” he said blankly.  
Mira turned to look at the group. “Okay,” she said, putting her hands up. “So, they didn’t leave too long ago. But…” She inhaled deeply. “They are on the Exchange leader’s personal ship, though.”  
“Is there any way to get on board?” Visas asked.  
Mira stared at the floor, frowning.  
Atton looked around at the group. “Oh, come on! There’s got to be some way! We need to rescue her!” He cried desperately.  
“We know,” Mical told him in annoyance. “And in case you weren’t aware, you are not the only one who cares for her on this ship!”  
Atton glared at him, fire in his eyes. “Then why don't you think of something?!  
“Here we go…” Mira said quietly, rolling her eyes.  
Mical gaped at him angrily. “I have not been on this planet, you hotheaded-”  
Atton stretched forth his hand, immediately sending Mical backwards with the Force.  
“What the hell is the matter with you?!” Bao-Dur shouted, walking right in front of Atton. Visas was helping Mical up, looking nastily back at Atton. “I know you want to find her, but this isn't going to help anything!”  
Atton’s breathing was heavy, his teeth clenched in fury. “I’m done with him.” He walked back towards the refugee landing pad, looking back at the group. “I’ll find her myself.”  
“Atton!” Mira screamed at his back. “You’re going to get yourself killed! We need to stick together!”  
He continued walking, ignoring the group.  
Bao-Dur watched as he left their line of sight, then wheeled around to face his companions. “Well?” He said, lifting his arms up shrugging. “What now?!”  
Visas scowled. “What an absolute ass.”

 

Atton stalked into a small repair shop, a scowl on his face. An orange alien with large, black eyes was hunched over a workbench. “Hey, you in business?” He asked the alien.  
The figure stood up. “Welcome to Tienn’s shop,” he greeted. “My eyes are old, but I can see you want something of me.”  
“Tienn, was it?” Atton drew closer to the alien. “Look, I’m trying to find a way onto Goto’s ship. Is there anyway you could make that happen?”  
Tienn laughed heartily. “Goto?! You can’t be serious.”  
“Serious as can be,” Atton snarled. “He has someone I care about in custody, and I need to get her back.”  
He sighed. “Listen, that ship is almost untraceable. It sports a cloaking device so it can’t be seen.” He paused. “Although…”  
Atton’s heart skipped a beat. “Although? Although what?!”  “If you were hunting for Goto’s yacht, your freighter would be flying blind- unless it was one of Vogga the Hutt’s cargo ships.”  
“Vogga?” Atton asked in confusion. “What does he have to do with any of this?” Atton had had an encounter with Vogga the Hutt when he, Zanna and Kreia previously came to Nar Shaddaa in an attempt to track down Zez-Kai Ell.  
“Goto’s been preying on Vogga’s freighters for a while now. Even with all the traffic that goes on on this planet, Goto always seems to know which ones are his, and his ship just snaps them up.”  
“So he’s tracking them?”  
“Must be.”  
“Is…” Atton shook his head, thinking. “Is there any way to change our ship’s ID signature? If it matches one of Vogga’s then we’d be in, right?!”  
Tienn put his hand under his giant head. “It’s possible, yes. But I would need a transponder card with the ID.”  
“Great,” He groaned. “How do I do that?”  
‘Atton!’ Visas’ voice came into his mind. ‘Atton, listen to me!’  
“Hold on just one second…” He told Tienn.  
He wheeled around, focusing on letting the Force link his mind to Visas’. ‘What is it?’  
‘We found a way to get onto the yacht!’ She said happily.  
‘Yeah? Well so did I,’ Atton told her, unamused. ‘Whaddya got?’  
‘Vogga the Hutt operates a droid warehouse, where he sends out all his freighters. If we can send T3 in, we can-’  ‘He can get a blank transponder card!’ He exclaimed in his mind. ‘How did we wind up with the same plan?’  ‘The Force works in mysterious ways,’ She said coolly.  
‘No, seriously.’  ‘Fassa told us.’  
Atton groaned. ‘I’ll be over in a minute.’  ‘I’m not too sure about that.’ Visas’ tone was strict.  
‘What do you mean?’  ‘The rest of us are not okay with how you acted. We have decided that you will remain wherever you are, and we will contact you when T3 has acquired the necessary information.’  
‘What?! That’s ridiculous!’ He paused, waiting for an answer. ‘Visas?’ He sat in silence. ‘Dammit, woman!’ He sighed, turning back around to Tienn.  
“What was that about?” Tienn asked timidly.  
Atton shrugged. “I’ve been unofficially put in time-out.”  
Tienn raised his head. “Women troubles?”  
Atton glared at him. “You could say that.”

 

“What’s taking that tin can so long?” Mira was getting impatient, as were the others. They sat near dingy apartments that were nestled within the Nar Shaddaa docks.  
“The longer we wait here, the further away Zanna becomes…” Mical mused.  
“Hey, give the little guy a break!” Bao-Dur said defensively. “That warehouse is bound to be filled with Vogga’s droids- we did not send him on an easy task.”  
“I still am sensing life within her,” Visas confirmed to the group. “So as long as the droid doesn’t take too much longer, we have yet a chance to save her.”  
“What if he does not come back at all?” Mical asked suddenly. He looked around. “What are we to do then?”  
Mira shrugged. “We’ll figure something out. We’ll have to.”  
“DWEEET-DOOOOOP-BREEEP!” T3-M4 came rounding the corner to the apartments, causing the whole group to cheer.  
“Ey, look who it is!” Mira cried happily.  
Bao-Dur smiled at the droid. “Did you get the transponder codes?”  
“BWEEP! BOOOP-DEEEEE-REEET!”  
“Excellent.” He grinned to the group. “We’re good to go!”  
“I shall reach out to Atton to see where he is.”  
Mira stared at Visas, who sat cross-legged on the ground. “This Jedi mumbo-jumbo will never cease to baffle me.”  
“The ways of the Force are complex and extremely difficult to understand,” Mical said, attempting to explain. “Even for the Jedi, some aspects of the Force fail to be understood.”  
She glared at him. “Yeah, okay. I’ll keep that in mind…” She rolled her eyes.  
Visas finally stood up. “Atton has already found a technician of some sort who can accomplish what we seek to do.”  
“Then let’s go meet up with him,” Bao-Dur suggested.  
Mira stopped Mical in his tracks. “Even though he was being an ass to you before, please refrain from teenage bantha shit, alright?”  
He laughed. “I will not, nor will I ever, stoop to his sort of behavior.”  
“Well, thank the Force.” She began walking out of the apartments. “I was afraid you two would wind up in an argument on who’s the pfassking prettiest.”  
“Let’s just go. We’re wasting time.”

 

“Well, it’s about time you all showed up!” Atton was sitting atop a plasteel cylinder in Tienn’s shop. He pointed at Visas as she walked in. “Yeah, and thanks for leaving me hanging.”  
She smiled. “We didn’t need your childish behavior.”  
“How was I acting childish?!” He whined.  
“I won’t dignify that with a response.”  
“ANYWAYS,” Bao-Dur yelled over the two, “We got the transponder card.” He handed it over to Tienn. “Can you switch our ship’s ID?”  
Tienn took the card in his hand. “Yes, this will work nicely.”  
“We’re gonna get my bounty back in no time,” Mira smirked.  
“Okay, so we’ll head back to the ship and get ready to be abducted, then?” Atton asked hesitantly, looking around. “Great plan. Love it.” He did a thumbs up.  
Tienn turned to face the rest of the group. “I must warn you all, this information on the card states that the freighter weighs a certain amount.”  
“Is that a problem?” Visas asked.  
“Indeed it could be,” Tienn replied. “Goto will know before the vessel is even intercepted it is not one of Vogga’s. Judging by your ship, I’d say it already is close to what this freighter’s is supposed to be.”  
Atton leaned forward. “What are you saying?” he asked timidly.  
“By the looks of it, only two of you would be able to stay on your ship to pass as one of Vogga’s.”  
Mira hung her head backwards and groaned. “Oh my god, you have got to be kidding me.”  
“For the love of-” Atton started. “Okay, so quick decision time.”  
“I think Mira should be on board.” Visas stated. “She has the knowledge to deal with any technological problems that arise, and if her old companions are still on board, she will be the only one to be able to successfully combat them.” She stared at Atton, who was giving her a stank face. “Or did you want to get hit by a paralysis dart again? She’s the one who knows how they operate. Mira’s the best chance to avoid them.”  
Atton sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”  
Bao-Dur looked at Mira. “If I’m not going, I’ll give you some tools to help bypass security. It’s bound to be tight.”  
Mira inhaled. “Alright, I’ll go.” She looked around hesitantly. “Who else?”  
The group looked around at each other in tense silence. Mical stood up after a moment. “It has to be you, Atton.” He locked eyes with him.  
Atton’s eyes widened in surprise. “Me?!” He looked quickly at the others, who all nodded.  
“Of course it has to be you.” Mical smiled at him. “She needs you right now, more than ever.” He inhaled deeply. “We all know it.”  
Atton nodded humbly to Mical. “Thank you.”  
Bao-Dur clapped his hands together. “Alright then. That settles that.”  
Tienn gave the card back to Bao-Dur. “You people are crazy, but this will do the job for you.”  
Mira looked over at Atton and grinned, fire in her eyes. “Let’s go crash ourselves a yacht.”


	7. Rescue

 

_Now this Goto, he’s rigid, ruthlessly efficient, and all he sees are numbers.”_

_Zanna stared at Luxa, a pink skinned alien. “And… this is your boss, right?”_

_Luxa smiled at her. “A much as he can be while I’m here on Telos.”_

_“So what do you want us to do about Slusk?” Atton asked her. Zanna, Atton and Kreia needed to meet with Loppak Slusk, local leader of the Exchange, to get passage off of Telos, as the Ebon Hawk had been stolen while they were stationed on the planet. To do that, they first were required to talk to Luxa, Slusk’s second in command. They had found her at a bar, nestled in between two Gammorean guards._

_Luxa sighed._ _“Goto keeps him around because he maintains a steady flow of income.” She took a sip from her drink. “Yet it’s only half of what I know it could be. I could be the Citadel’s boss-” she pursed her lips. “But Goto doesn’t allow breaks in the chain of command."_

_Kreia lifted her head._ _“And this… Goto… is the one who initially posted the current bounty for Jedi?”_

_Luxa nodded. “Yup, that’s him.”_

_Zanna glanced over at Kreia, then back to the pink being. “What does he want with them? I mean, what does he plan to do with them?”_

_She took another sip of her drink, then shrugged, a grin on her face. “I can’t get into  the specifics, but let’s just say if you happen to know one, hide them and hope no one ever finds them.”_

 

“You’ve been difficult to find, Jedi.” Goto appeared before Zanna once again as a hologram. “At last I have you in my custody.”  
She looked around, her hands cuffed high above her head. “Yeah, congrats. You did it.”  
He glowered at her. “The bounty hunters mentioned you had a mouth on you. “  
She cocked her head. “Well you know what they say- you can’t kill a sense of humor.”  
“Well, I’m eager to give it my best shot.”  
She stared at him. “What exactly do you want with the Jedi, anyway?”  
“I wish for them to be exterminated.”  
“Just Jedi?” She asked, confused.  
“And the Sith, too.” Goto’s brows furrowed.  “Much like yourself.”  
Zanna’s eyes widened. “ _Me_?! A _Sith_?”  
“I have been instructed on the visible implications of one who chooses the so-called ‘Dark Side’.” He looked her up and down. “By my observations, I would most certainly categorize you as Sith.”  
“That’s ridiculous!” She cried out, shaking her head. “I’m trying to _fight_ the Sith, not _join_ them!”  
“So you say.” The hologram moved closer towards her shaking form in the Force cage. “Either way, you are a Jedi. And as, presumably, a Sith, it is imperative that you are exterminated.”  
“You’re out of your damn mind!” She screamed at him, shaking violently. “I’m not a Sith! I swear to you!”  
Goto smiled coldly. “I figured you would cause more trouble than the others. That’s why you’re in here, as opposed to a normal containment cell.”  
Zanna stared at him in desperation. “What? What do you mean? Where did you put me?!”  
“This-” Goto said, arms gesturing towards the room, “Is my torture chamber.”  
Immediately, electric shocks shot through the cuffs that held her, sending waves of pain through her whole body. She screamed in agony as the pulses of electricity shot themselves down through her spine, seeming to burn her insides and intensifying the broken scabs on her back beyond compare. She cringed as she began to feel what she hoped was only sweat seeping from the wound.  
She panted as the waves slowed, Goto right in front of her face. “The Jedi will be no more. Beginning with you.” His hologram swiftly disappeared as the next intense wave began, her screams louder than they ever were.

 

“That was way too easy,” Mira noted as her and Atton walked onto the yacht. “Don’t you think?”  
Atton shrugged. “Who cares? We’re in, right? That’s all that matters.” He looked around the extravagant ship, whistling in admiration. “Remind me later to become a major crime boss…”  
Mira slapped his shoulder. “Focus, Rand!”  
“Damn, woman! Calm down!” He pulled out his lightsaber and held it firmly, just in case. “I’ve got this.”  
“Just please think with your head instead of letting your…” She hesitated, searching for an alternative term. “ _Lightsaber_ … think for you, alright?”  
He glared at her in shock. “The hell, Mira?!”  
She held her hands up defensively. “I’m just saying!”  
He scowled and began walking towards a computer console next to a giant door. “Huh, think this could be useful?”  
Mira slowly walked towards the console, pulling a small datapad out from the pocket on the front of her leather pants. “Maybe. Only one way to find out.” She hooked the datapad up to the console.  
“What’s that?”  
“Just some decryption technology Bao-Dur lent to me. Should help with bypassing some of the security.” Her face was focused as she began looking from the datapad to the screen, frantically typing commands.  
“Where in Malachor did you learn how to do this kind of stuff?” He asked, impressed.  
She shrugged. “Ren’Li taught me a lot.”  
“Ah.” He lifted his head up. “Should have known.”  
“Ha!” She gestured to him to come closer. “The Iridonian really knows his stuff. I was able to hack into a few of the security camera feeds.” Atton hunched over to get a better view as she selected one of the feeds from a menu. “Let’s see what we got in the containment cells.”  
An image of four cells appeared on the screen, although the quality wasn’t great. It was spotted with static so the people within the cells were hard to make out. Atton furrowed his brow. “I don’t think Zan’s in any of these ones…” He mumbled as his eyes scanned the image. “Woah, woah! Hold up.” He squinted at the third cell.  
Mira glanced at him, then back at the screen. “What is it?”  
He pointed to one of the figures. They were pacing quickly in their cell, almost chaotically. “That… Is that Kyra?” He asked quietly.  
Mira looked intently at where Atton was pointing. “Looks like her armor… And that mane of hers is unmistakable.” She looked up at him. “Yup, that’s her.”  
“Where are the others…?” His eyes skimmed the rest of the containment cells. “I see a an empty cell, an old guy, the psycho, and the last one has a utility droid in it.”  
Mira shook her head. “There may be more on the ship.”  
Atton sighed in angst. “Alright, let’s check it out.”  
She went back to the console’s menu, selecting another camera feed. “The image quality still isn’t great, but there _were_ more.”  
“See any of our other friends?” He asked sarcastically.  
“Give me more than half a second and maybe,” she hissed. She shook her head, staring at the screen. “Oh!” She exclaimed. “That’s Ausur.”  
“How can you tell?”  
“The bright orange beard.” She pointed at his sitting figure in the fourth cell.  
“Gotcha. That still leaves the other crazy one and Ren’Li.”  
“That’s gonna be a problem-” Mira claimed, pursing her lips. “There’s only one more feed I was able to hack into, and I have a feeling it’s not going to show both of them.”  
Atton exhaled. “Well, even if it’s only one of ‘em, it’ll help us.”  
Mira sucked in her breath. “Well, here goes nothing.” She switched to the last feed. She squinted. “That looks like a little kid!” She pointed at a figure, looking too small for their clothes, in a force cage. “I mean like, a boy!”  
He stared at the screen. “Why would a kid be here?”  
“I don’t pfassking know!” She cried out defensively. “Because Goto’s a maniac?” He continued studying the screen as Mira began to exit to the main menu. She shrugged, sighing. “Alright, then. Let’s get going. I’ll see what I can do about some of these doors.”  She fumbled around on the datapad, until the door next to them opened.  
“Nice work, Red!” Atton exclaimed. “Oh, shit.” Three huge black droids were waiting behind the door. He shot daggers at Mira as he ignited his lightsaber. “You know what? Never mind.”  
“Shut up!” She brought up her sonic blaster and began firing at Goto’s defensive droids, of which had shielded themselves. “Dammit!” Mira shouted. “Can’t you do some Jedi shit to obliterate these stupid things?!”  
Atton ducked under a shot by one of the droids. “Well, I’m kind of new to this whole thing-” He grunted as he slashed the droid. “But I mean, I’ll see what I can do!”  
Mira fired rapid shots at the droids and scowled. “ _Today_ _please_!” She yelled.  
“Damn, woman I’m trying!” He put his hand out, lightning striking and passing through all of the droids, causing all three to drop to the ground.  
“Thank you,” Mira breathed, lowering her blaster. “That wasn’t too hard, was it?!”  
“I’m not going to answer that.” Atton continued towards another sealed door. He groaned. “Looks like we’re gonna have to hack into this one too.”  
“I’ll see what I can do.” Mira took out the decryption device yet again, getting to work. Suddenly, loud sirens sounded off. “Shit…” She said under her breath.  
Atton shot daggers at her. “Why didn’t the Zabrak just come?”  
“Shut it.”

 

Zanna stood in the containment of the force cage, drenched in sweat. The electrocutions had been continuously delivered in waves for at least ten minutes, each new one draining her of life. Her arms had become numb from being held straight up, and she no longer had the strength to hold her head up.  
_Oh my gods_ … She thought to herself as the next wave started. _I don’t know how much longer I can take this_ … She knew for a fact that if she hadn’t had the Jedi training, she would have died sooner. It was only a matter of time now…  
Over the overwhelming presence of the shocks around her, she was able to make out a strange sound. _Is… Is that an alarm?!_ Her heart skipped a beat. _Oh my gods. Could it be them?!_ In an act of desperation, she attempted to reach out to Atton through the Force. _‘Atton… Atton…’_ She called out, _‘If you can hear me, say something… Anything…’_

 

Atton’s head snapped up while Mira tried to get the next door open. _‘Zan?!’_ He was certain he had heard her voice. _‘Zanna, you there?!’_  
_‘Yes, but barely.’_ Even in her thoughts, her voice was weak.  
_‘Oh thank the Force. I’m here. I’m coming to save you, love.’_

 _‘Hurry… I can’t take much more.’_ Her voice was desperate, shaky even.  
_‘I will. Where are you, Zan? Where do I find you?’_  
“Got it!” Mira exclaimed, the door opening.  
“Shush!” He hissed. “She’s telling me where she is!”  
“What?!”  
_‘I don’t know for sure, but it was past a row of containment cells. Master Vrook was in one… I’m in a force cage.’_

 _‘Hang on. Just hang on, we’re coming.’_  
“Where is she?!” Mira asked.  
Atton glanced up at her. “Were you able to see where those camera feeds were? Where the cell blocks are?”  
“Uh…” She looked at her datapad. “Which one?”  
“The one with the old guy,” He told her. “And Kyra. She passed him whenever she was going.” He paused. “Wait a minute… Oh my god! She’s the person you thought was a kid!”  
She continued working on the pad, but glanced up at him. “What?!” 

“I don’t know what the hell she’s been through, but that’s her. We need to get to her now.”  
Mira quickly typed on the pad, her brows narrowing as she focused. “Looks like east from here, and then north.”  
“Okay, we need to move.” He ignited his lightsaber and began running to the east. _Please… Please hold on…._  
The pair continued on, running throughout the ship. A horde of huge guardian droids, more of Goto’s defensive droids, and gun turrets stood in their way- however, Atton’s determination drove him, slashing down every obstacle in their path with relative ease. Mira had to run faster than usual to keep up with him, especially since he really didn’t know where he was going.  
“HEY!” She screamed at him, as he was about to head down a corridor.  
He turned around abruptly, groaning. “Damn, Mira! What is it?! We need to keep moving!”  “Yeah, and I’m all for that, but you’re headed in the wrong direction, dumbass!”  
He quickly looked at the corridor, lightsaber still in hand. “Oh.”  
“That’s what I thought. Opposite way.” She pointed in a different direction. “Okay, we should be approaching the cell block now.”  
“Excellent.” He pushed the door open, which led to a narrow hallway consisting of four containment cells. “Found it.”  
“Good job, pilot. How would I ever have done this without you…?” She muttered in sarcasm.  
“You know what?” Atton started.  
“Honestly, I don’t wanna kn-”  
“MIRA!”  
She spun around, facing the first cell. “Holy shit, _Mission_?!”  
Mission was on her knees the cell’s corner, hands cuffed behind her back. “Mira, please, you need to help me out!”  She snorted. “Why in the name of the Force would I help you?!”  
Mission shook her head. “No, not me. Ren’Li.”  
“Red, we need to move!” Atton said through gritted teeth.  
“Please, she didn’t do anything!” Mission begged. “Goto put her in the maintenance room to make her do repairs on all these damn droids. There’s no way for me to get out, but if you can get into that room, you’ll have no problem.”  
Mira stared at her. “I’ll think about it.”  
“Thank you, Mira! Just…” She exhaled deeply. “Tell her that I love her, okay? I probably won’t see her again.”  
“Mira, we need to leave NOW!” Atton yelled.  
She stared at Mission- her face, for once, was utterly sincere. “Okay. Fine.”  
Mission bowed her head humbly. “Thank you so much,” she said quietly.  
Mira nodded, then ran down the hallway to catch up to Atton, who had stopped abruptly before the next door. “Locked?” She asked, catching her breath.  
He pounded on the door. “Damn thing’s stuck!”  
“Let me see what I can do.” She knelt next to a screen as Atton put his ear to the door.  
“Oh my god,” he breathed. “I can hear… something. Sounds like some sort of electricity surge…”  
Mira snapped her head up. “Isn’t… Isn’t that where Z is…?”  
His eyes widened. “Get this door open NOW!”  
She fumbled to get the door open, when suddenly they heard the sound of screaming coming from the room next to them.  
“MIRA!” He shouted, pounding on the door.  
“I’M TRYING!” Her hands shook in desperation. “There!”  The door slid open, revealing a relatively large room with different torture equipment- the most prominent being the force cage that held a woman being shocked, screaming for her life.  
“ZAN!” Atton ran to the cage. “Zan, I’m here! I’m here! We’re going to get you out of there, I promise!”  
Mira ran to another panel on one of the room’s walls and immediately logged into it. “I’m gonna shut this thing down!” She yelled.  
“Do it quick!” He stared at Zanna, heart racing. “She doesn’t have much time.”  
“Yeah, there’s only about two more minutes until it’s done with it’s job!” Her voice cracked as she yelled to him.  
“MIRA!” He screamed at her. “Do something!”  
Mira groaned from where she was standing. “There’s no way to shut it down!”  
Atton snapped his head back to her. “Are you _kidding me?!_ There has to be _some_ thing!”  
She shook her head. “I might be able to overload it-” She looked up at him. “But it’ll probably kill her.”  
“We have no choice! If this doesn’t work, she’ll die!”  
“Yeah, well, she might die if I overload the circuit!”  
Atton looked back at Zanna, who was still screaming at the top of her lungs, her body jolting as the electricity was being shot through her. His face screwed up in sadness watching her. He took a deep breath, then faced Mira again. “Do it.” He stood directly in front of the cage, watching as Zanna continued to scream in agony as Mira started typing the command, focusing more on the Force to keep Zanna safe than he ever had since he became a Jedi. _Please work…_ He thought, closing his eyes. _She has to be okay._  
“GET READY!” Mira shouted.  
Atton held his breath as the force cage itself began to send sparks flying, its circuits overloading. The cage shook, it’s energy surging until it began to explode, all the while Zanna screamed. He held his hand up to shield himself from the extreme light that the explosion caused as Mira came over to meet him. The next moment was silent, smoke slowly coming out from the bottom of the cage. It’s shield had been shut down successfully.  
“Zan!” He looked at her as she hung her head, seemingly motionless.  
“She’s cuffed to that thing,” Mira noted, pointing to her wrists. “I can’t reach it, though.”  
He reached up over the Jedi’s arms, unlocking the cuffs. Immediately, she fell forward into his arms, gasping for air.  
“Zan?! Zan, are you okay?!” He asked as she fell limply into him.  
Her only response was the littlest nod as she began to weep. The two slowly sunk into the ground, she being too weak to stand. She curled up into him as he knelt on the floor.  
“Thank the Force you’re alive,” he whispered to her, cradling her against him as she wept. He kissed her forehead, rocking her back and forth on his knees. “It’s okay. It’s okay now.”  
Mira looked down at the two. “We can’t be here for too long…” She said quietly.  
He looked up at her with his eyes, but didn’t respond. He knew they didn’t have much time- but this was the most important thing right now. He looked down at the tiny woman in his arms. She was violently shaking, gasping for air in between sobs. What little skin pigment she had was gone, and it was bruised and fragile from all the shocks and beatings she had endured. He brought his hand to the back of her head, gently rubbing her hair- which had been choppily cut, which he assumed was not her doing. She also was wet from sweating, causing her teeth to chatter from the cold. He took off his ribbed jacket, careful to keep holding her steady, and gently placed it over her shoulders- and he noticed the black shirt was slightly discolored in the back from blood. They sat on the ground together with Mira standing over them for a minute or so as Zanna caught her breath and her crying slowed.  
“OH, SHIT!” Mira shouted, ducking as a shot from one of Goto’s droid fired past her. “We’ve got company!” She brought her sonic blaster back up, firing at the circular droid. “Oh, pfassk it!” She pulled her right wrist up, aiming it directly at the herd of droids firing at her. The next instance, something flew out of her wrist launcher, causing all of the droids to explode.  
Atton gaped at her. “Why the hell did you not do that before?!”  
“Because I figured getting out of here would be harder than finding our way in!” She yelled as more droids approached.  
He pressed his forehead against Zanna’s. “Okay, we’re gonna get you out of here, Zan. Just hang on as best as you can, alright?”  
She weakly nodded as he secured his jacket over her, then scooped her up with his left hand underneath her butt, so she was more or less over his shoulder. He pulled out his lightsaber with his right hand, igniting it before following Mira through the containment cells. Zanna’s vision was weak, but it was still clear of what she was seeing. “Vrook…” She said quietly upon seeing the Jedi Master.  
Atton stopped dead in his tracks. “What?”  
“Vrook,” She said weakly again. “In there.”  
He wheeled around, facing the old man. “Oh.” He turned his head to face her. “Do we _really_ need him?” He whined.  
“Sorry, but yes.”  
“Dammit.” He rolled his eyes in frustration. “Hold on.” He walked next to the cell Vrook was in, ignoring the gunfire from the droids. He took his lightsaber and slashed the cell’s security panel, causing it to explode.  
Vrook stepped forward as the shield holding him fell. “Thank you, Exile.”  
“Not to be a buzzkill or anything,” Atton grunted, “But it was actually all me. Also, we need to leave.”  
The Jedi Master nodded. “Understood.”  
“You guys head for the Hawk!” Mira shouted from the next hallway. “I’m going to go find Ren’Li.”  
Atton groaned. “Why?” He complained.  
Mira glanced at him before ducking from the crossfire. “She’s one of the good guys… And a friend.” She ran off before he could respond.  
“Damn.” He glanced over at Vrook. “So, uh… You got a weapon on you?”  
Vrook shot daggers at him. “I was imprisoned.”  
“And?”  
“My lightsaber was confiscated when I was brought aboard the ship,” he told him begrudgingly.  
“Alright, one more stop then…”  “No, we must escape. That is more important right now,” Vrook said authoritatively. “Goto may still trap us here.”  
“Not on my watch.” Atton retaliated, repositioning Zanna on his shoulder. “Alright, let’s head out.”

 

“Just stay with her. Try whatever you can to help heal her.” Atton had placed Zanna down gently on one of the beds in the med bay, while Vrook stood over her looking concerned. “Please, just…” He inhaled deeply. “Try to do something.”  
Vrook glared up at him. “I’m sure I’ll come up with ‘something’.”  
Atton nodded, then turned around, rolling his eyes at the old man. He knew Vrook could heal her through the Force- he was only bitter at him because he had exiled her long ago. Not like that mattered at the moment, though. He stormed off to the cockpit, readying the ship to leave the instant Mira returned. “Damn, Mira…” He said to himself. “Get out of there.” He was, as much as he didn’t want to admit, worried that Mira wouldn’t come back. “We don’t need to go on another rescue mission…”  
He sat impatiently in the pilot’s chair, the engine roared up and systems ready to leave the yacht. He tapped his fingers on the chair’s arms, breathing fast.  
“I think this is yours.”  
He turned around, hearing Mira’s voice.  
“Yes, thank you, young one.” Vrook spoke. Atton assumed Mira had found his lightsaber.  
Footsteps sounded closer to the cockpit, and Ren’Li emerged.  
“Ah, what the hell are you _doing_ in here?!” Atton yelled as she sat down next to him.  
“You need a co-pilot, and Mira needs to help Zanna recover.” She glared at him. “And believe me, man, we need to leave NOW.”  
He raised his eyebrows in confusion. “What? _Why_?”  
She began typing commands into the Hawk’s systems, shrugging. “There… may… or may not have been a self-destruct sequence initiated by the main power system’s computer.” She hesitated, looking over at his wide-eyed face. “And it may or may not be already counting down…”  
“WHAT?!” He yelled. “Sith’s blood! Fine! We’re outta here.” He shook his head as the Ebon Hawk brought itself away from Goto’s yacht. “Hang on!”  
Their ship was barely out of range as the yacht above them began to explode, the Hawk speeding down to Nar Shaddaa below, trying to avoid getting hit by the ship’s debris.  
“Does this thing have any sort of protective shields?!” Ren’Li asked Atton, suddenly being hit by something.  
“Not that I know of.”  
She smirked. “Hm.”  
He glared over at her. “What?”  
She shrugged, grinning. “ _My_ ship does.” She looked over at him, smiling. “ _Just saying._ ”  
He gaped at her in annoyance. “You realize we _did_ just rescue you, right?”


End file.
